Publication: Field Burning
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Date
2018-03-23
ISSN
Published
2018-03-23
Author(s)
Cassou, Emilie
Abstract
The practice of burning unwanted
vegetation to prepare land for sowing crops or other farming
activities is a worldwide and long-standing practice. Its
tenacity, despite its harmful consequences for air quality,
soil health, and the climate is a testament to its
convenience and acceptance among farmers across a wide range
of farming systems and agroclimatic zones. Burning is so
broadly perceived as being natural that even its immediate
toxicity is generally overlooked. Overall, there is no
greater source of primary fine carbonaceous particles than
biomass burning, and it is the second largest source of
trace gases in the atmosphere. Yet while the polluting
effects of burning are seldom a concern of agricultural
producers, the act of burning often defies farmers’ own
understanding of the multiple benefits of biomass residues,
which include nourishing and improving soils. That said, the
embrace in the past two decades of alternatives such as
no-till farming on a fairly wide scale in parts of Europe,
Asia, and especially the Americas, demonstrates that change
is possible with the right mix of public sector support and regulation.
Citation
“Cassou, Emilie. 2018. Field Burning. Agricultural Pollution;. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29504 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”