I’m a development professional, project strategist, and community listener. Over the past eight years, I’ve worked at the intersection of agriculture, livelihoods, climate action, women’s empowerment, and sustainable development—bringing together field realities and policy vision to drive transformative impact in rural India.
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Currently, I am working in Punjab leading a 250 member team working on depleting groundwater levels, crop residue management and soil health issues across 2,000 villages
Groundwater Depletion
Punjab faces a severe groundwater crisis, with water tables declining at 0.7-1.2 meters annually since the 1990s. Nearly 80% of blocks are classified as overexploited, with extraction rates 165% higher than recharge. The free electricity policy has enabled 1.4 million tubewells, tripling since 1990. Rice cultivation, covering 73% of cultivated area, requires 5,000 liters of water per kilogram produced. Without intervention, experts predict Punjab could become a desert within 25 years. Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technology can reduce irrigation water use in rice by 15-30% without yield loss, Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) method eliminates the water-intensive puddling process, saving 25-35% water and reducing labor costs by Rs. 3,000-5,000 per hectare. I have worked on both of these water saving techniques with over 25,000+ farmers covering 5,000+ acres under DSR and 22,000+ acres under AWD.
Crop Residue Management
Punjab and Haryana collectively generate approximately 30 million tonnes of paddy residue annually, with Punjab accounting for 20-22 million tonnes and Haryana contributing 7-8 million tonnes. About 70-75% of this stubble is burned in open fields post-harvest, creating a major environmental crisis. Stubble burning releases significant greenhouse gases, with estimates of 19-22 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, along with particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants. Economically, burning destroys soil nutrients worth Rs. 1,500-2,000 crores annually while degrading soil health by eliminating beneficial microorganisms.
Despite the strictness by state governments, farmers continue burning due to the narrow 15-20 day window between rice harvesting and wheat sowing.
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Over the years I have worked with hundreds of farmers in Fazilka, Mukhtsar Sahib, Faridkot, Moga, Bathinda, Sangrur, Patiala, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana and Jalandhar to understand the behavioural, agronomical and economical barriers to crop residue management. The deeply entrenched traditional practice of burning, perceived as the quickest solution, is reinforced by peer influence and community norms in villages where collective burning reduces individual accountability. Long-term solutions require addressing these socio-economic realities through enhanced subsidy mechanisms, strengthened extension services, community-based interventions, and development of economically viable alternatives like converting stubble into value-added products or biofuels.
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Soil Health
Punjab faces a severe soil health crisis characterized by declining organic carbon content (below 0.5% in 80% of agricultural lands), widespread nutrient imbalances, and increasing salinity/alkalinity affecting 12% of the total area. Excessive fertilizer use has skewed the NPK ratio to 31.4:8.0:1 (2023 data) against the recommended 4:2:1, while intensive cropping patterns have depleted micronutrients like zinc, iron, and manganese in 49%, 17%, and 5% of soils respectively. The rice-wheat monoculture, covering over 84% of cultivated area, has drastically reduced soil biodiversity. Groundwater quality has deteriorated with 28% of wells showing electrical conductivity exceeding 2 dS/m, indicating salinization issues.
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I am addressing these challenges through multiple evidence-based interventions - Soil health demonstration plots, promoting balanced fertilization based on soil testing; field training of over 150,000+ farmers in regenerative agriculture practices, increased adoption of leguminous crops in rotation.
