Discuss how using rice fallows and managing crop residue can tackle both stubble burning and India's pulse and oilseed deficit.

Rice fallows are fields left empty after the kharif paddy harvest. Paddy straw is the residue that farmers often burn to clear those fields. Both waste the same post-paddy window. The Khet Bachao Abhiyan – Rabi 2026 includes both themes in one October–November campaign [1]. This shows that a single post-harvest step can help both clean air and self-reliance in pulses and oilseeds.

Rice fallows: closing the pulse–oilseed gap

• Pulses: The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-26 to 2030-31) plans to add 35 lakh ha under pulses. It targets rice fallows and gives free seed kits [2].
• Oilseeds: NMEO-Oilseeds aims to add 40 lakh ha, mainly on rice and potato fallows. It targets primary oilseed output of 69.7 million tonnes by 2030-31, up from 39 million tonnes in 2022-23 [3].
• Agronomic fit: Short-duration lentil, chickpea and mustard can grow on the moisture left in the soil after paddy. Legumes also add nitrogen to the soil, so farmers need less urea.
• Economic gain: A second crop raises farm income and reduces imports of edible oil and pulses.

Crop residue management: ending stubble burning

• In-situ machines: The CRM scheme gives 50% subsidy to individual farmers and 80% to custom hiring centres for machines such as the Happy Seeder and zero-till drills [4].
• Ex-situ use: Balers and straw rakes collect straw and turn it into a resource rather than smoke [4].
• Environmental gain: This improves NCR air quality during the October–November season and keeps soil organic carbon in the field.

How the two work together

Paddy harvest → zero-till/Happy Seeder sowing into straw
→ straw mulch keeps soil moisture → pulse/mustard crop on fallow
→ no burning + more pulse/oilseed output

Fig: One intervention, two dividends

Challenges

• Short time window and costly machines: In 2025, CAQM asked Punjab and Haryana to fill gaps in CRM machinery [5].
• Reach is not adoption: In Kharif 2026, KBA reached 2.712 crore citizens, but only 7.17 lakh farmers were made aware of balanced fertiliser use [6].

Both measures work best together: the residue becomes mulch for the second crop, and the second crop gives farmers a reason not to burn. The way forward is to:

• supply machines through custom hiring centres in the same block where awareness drives run;
• distribute seed kits on time, right after harvest;
• assure procurement of pulses and oilseeds; and
• track adoption through Farmer IDs.

Done together, these steps support SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), and move India towards self-reliance in pulses and oilseeds.