Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

AWARENESS REGARDING ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES OF PADDY STRAW MANAGEMENT IN PUNJAB AND WEST BENGAL- A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Pinaki Roy and Manmeet Kaur

Abstract

Paddy straw has immense nutritive potential and can be used for various domestic and commercial purposes in West Bengal whereas a large amount of paddy straw is burnt in the Punjab state of India which leads to the loss huge amount of nutrients in the straw. Besides, the burning causes air pollution contributing to global warming and climate change. Also severe health hazards can be seen among the human beings as a result of straw burning. This paper tries to measure the comparative awareness level of the farmers regarding paddy straw management techniques. Sangrur and Burdwan district of Punjab and West Bengal were selected for this study. The results revealed that farmers lacked awareness regarding various alternative techniques of paddy straw management in Punjab where as in West Bengal, there were high awareness levels regarding various alternative techniques. This paper tries to provide information regarding various alternative techniques of paddy straw management through trainings, demonstrations and awareness campaigns.