Strengthening mechanization-based solutions for climate-smart crop residue management in Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal
Reference
PDF-SDG-2023-06
Implementing Entity/ies
UNESCAP
Collaborating Partners
FAO, RCOs, national governments
Duration
April 2024 每 March 2028
Location
Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal
Approved Budget
$ 786,600
Description
In many parts of Asia and the Pacific, agricultural productivity growth has led to a surplus of crop straw, primarily managed through burning, which poses environmental and health risks. This practice causes nutrient loss, soil degradation, and negative impacts on human health and the environment. Despite its potential value, crop straw burning persists due to limited agricultural machinery and equipment for alternative management methods. Addressing the issue requires testing and promoting integrated models for straw utilization, particularly tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers and Least Developed Countries.
The project seeks to promote sustainable and climate smart agriculture through innovative agricultural machinery in order to support the related SDGs. It will build upon and expand a prior ESCAP initiative in Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal for application of agricultural machinery to address crop straw burning by farmers which is an important cause of air pollution and decline in soil health and productivity in the region. The project will establish new pilot sites in these countries to adapt and scale up mechanization-based solutions while providing follow-up technical and outreach support to the existing pilots. The pilot sites will exclusively be developed in land formerly labelled for agriculture, not intruding on land used for conservation purposes. It will lay emphasis on strengthening local capacities, and catering to the needs of smallholders and women farm workers and engage government and non-government stakeholders at the local and national levels for policy and programme mainstreaming while also supporting community groups and rural entrepreneurs to run custom hiring (renting) businesses for agricultural machinery suitable for integrated crop residue management.
The project seeks to promote sustainable and climate smart agriculture through innovative agricultural machinery in order to support the related SDGs. It will build upon and expand a prior ESCAP initiative in Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal for application of agricultural machinery to address crop straw burning by farmers which is an important cause of air pollution and decline in soil health and productivity in the region. The project will establish new pilot sites in these countries to adapt and scale up mechanization-based solutions while providing follow-up technical and outreach support to the existing pilots. The pilot sites will exclusively be developed in land formerly labelled for agriculture, not intruding on land used for conservation purposes. It will lay emphasis on strengthening local capacities, and catering to the needs of smallholders and women farm workers and engage government and non-government stakeholders at the local and national levels for policy and programme mainstreaming while also supporting community groups and rural entrepreneurs to run custom hiring (renting) businesses for agricultural machinery suitable for integrated crop residue management.