Farmers’ Decisions on Sustainable Crop Residue Management: A Case Study from Punjab Province, Pakistan

The sustainable management of crop residue is termed a win-win strategy for sustainable agriculture production and the abatement of carbon emissions from the agriculture sector. Therefore, it is essential to propose future policies on the promotion of sustainable crop residue management to contribute to a more bio-based circular economy. Nevertheless, there is a lack of understanding about the decision-making processes underlying the use of sustainable crop residue management at the farm level by farmers. The objective of this study is to understand the farmers’ decisions in terms of adopting sustainable and alternative crop residue management practices. For this purpose, a survey was conducted from three agro-ecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan, and a multivariate probit approach was employed to analyze factors affecting farmers’ decisions on the use of different practices. The results revealed that farmers were becoming more interested in using sustainable crop residue management practices despite a number of challenges. The majority of farmers are currently using crop residue for their animal feed and are willing to use it as a bio-fertilizer, also for energy purposes in bio-gas plants. These results hold true for a wide range of countries with notable spatial variations in livestock density, particularly for those with ambitions to use crop waste more sustainably and effectively. The findings of the study recommend that improving crop residue on-farm use requires a combination of appropriate crop residue management practices, such as a clean energy source, accurate and easily accessible information about the efficacy of crop residue management practices, and proper regulations and enforcement. To improve farmer participation, adequate extension services, training, and credit facilities are necessary to enhance the farmers’ capacity in reusing crop residues.