Back to news
17 Mar 2015 | Atmosphere Initiative

Conference on alternatives to open agricultural burning

1 min Read

70% Complete

To discuss the extent to which open burning of agricultural residue and waste causes black carbon emissions and to explore mitigation options, a two-day long conference titled ‘Mitigation of Emissions from Open Agricultural Burning in the Wider Himalayan Region’ was held from 20 to 21 February in Kathmandu, Nepal. The event was jointly organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) with sponsorship from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).

During the conference, Dr Jessica McCarthy of Michigan Technological University presented the monthly maps of fire hotspots detected by the MODIS satellite sensors from 2003 and 2013. The maps show the location and timing of large agricultural fires.  Around the Himalayan region, burning is most prevalent in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, and Pakistan. Dr Arnico Panday from ICIMOD pointed out that while MODIS captures large fires under clear skies, it does not capture the small short-duration fires of piles of agricultural residue that are common across the HKH region.

In his presentation, Dr Svante Bodin from the ICCI stressed the importance of involving local communities in achieving environmental targets. He said that the CCAC scoping project in the Himalayan region would seek to “answer basic questions like where and when the burning take place, identify the crops that are being burned, the farmers’ reason/s for burning particular crops/lands, and possible alternatives.”

Experts from the region explored alternative methods and options to reduce open burning of the most common crops. They identified potential solutions such as conservation agriculture and other alternative agricultural practices, as well as the conversion of waste and residues to biogas, providing a local source of energy. Over 30 representatives of the scientific community, government officials, international organizations, farmers and farmer organizations, and other relevant experts in agriculture, air quality and health issues, adaptation and climate change participated in the conference.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

related contents

Continue exploring this topic

3 May 2016 Himalica
Farmers Learn Modern Beekeeping

Beekeeping with Apis cerana is a common practice among the pilot households in Taplejung district of Nepal. Over one-third of the households ...

8 Mar 2019 Gender in Koshi
Masculinism and Feminism: Equality for all

The perpetuation of gender roles is a repetitive, systematic, and recurring behaviour. It perpetuates within the social structure by defining ...

17 Aug 2018 HUC
Yunnan University Hosts Second HUC Water Group Meeting

Established in November 2017, the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) Thematic Working Group on Water (Water Group) is a regional initiative ...

14 Jun 2022 News
Exploring future investment in biodiversity research and monitoring

Spanning across China, India and Myanmar, the Far Eastern Himalaya is home to the world’s rarest flora and fauna ...

28 Dec 2016 News
Transboundary Collaboration to Generate Mutual Environmental Gains for China and Myanmar

A Declaration of Participating Institutions was signed by institutional representatives participating in the Workshop on Opportunities for Transboundary Collaboration for ...

7 Feb 2019 RMS
Myanmar delegation visits Nepal to learn about community forestry practices

Myanmar has developed Community Forestry Strategic Action Plan 2018–2030 to address forest degradation and improve the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities ...

Participatory GIS for building community resilience

Over the years, the approach to natural disasters has changed from response and relief to risk reduction, with policy focusing ...

21 Mar 2016 News
Training of Trainers on Value Chain Development

A three-day training of trainers workshop was conducted at the Agriculture Development Bank Hall, Rupandehi district in Nepal by the International Centre ...