HDFC Bank Parivartan Contributes to Saving Over 3.26 Lakh Acres of Farmland from Stubble Burning Across North India

Ahmedabad | Gujarat —  On World Environment Day, HDFC Bank, through its CSR programme Parivartan, in partnership with CII Foundation, announced a landmark milestone in its Crop Residue Management (CRM) initiative, 88% of 3,78,425 acres of farmland have been saved from stubble burning across Punjab and Haryana in the 2025 season. Reaching 86,000 farmers across more than 380 villages in Ludhiana and Sangrur districts of Punjab and Fatehabad district of Haryana, the programme is a comprehensive and impactful private-sector-led effort to tackle agricultural air pollution in North India.

Stubble burning after the paddy harvest is among the contributors to the severe air pollution that blankets North India every winter, disrupting life and aggravating chronic heart and lung diseases. Burning one tonne of paddy straw, generated in approx. 1/3rd of an acre farm, releases three kilograms of particulate matter into the atmosphere, while also stripping the soil of essential nutrients. Despite a 53% reduction in burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana in 2025, small and marginal farmers continue to face barriers in accessing machinery and managing residue within tight inter-seasonal windows.

Launched in October 2023 in Ludhiana and expanded in 2024 to Sangrur and Fatehabad, the three-year programme is implemented by CII Foundation across 380 villages. To date, 8 villages have eliminated stubble burning entirely, and 174 have achieved over 90% non-burning compliance.

Speaking about the milestone, Nusrat Pathan, Head – CSR, HDFC Bank, said, “Stubble burning is not simply an agricultural habit – it is a systemic challenge rooted in economics, access, and awareness. HDFC Bank Parivartan’s partnership with CII Foundation has addressed all three dimensions simultaneously. By making machinery accessible to farmers through cooperative tool banks, driving behaviour change through sustained community engagement, and introducing ex-situ solutions like biogas and composting, we have built a model that delivers environmental outcomes alongside real savings for farmers. On World Environment Day, we reaffirm our commitment to scaling this impact further.”

The programme’s success is anchored in a community tool bank approach: over 450 pieces of farm machinery, including Balers, Super Seeders, Smart Seeders, Mittar Seeders, were procured and donated to more than 140 farmer cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), making these available to farmers at an affordable rental cost.  800 tractors were deployed on hire for small and marginal farmers during the peak stubble burning period. Use of machinery enables in-situ residue management, mulching and incorporating paddy straw into the soil while also completing soil preparation, sowing of wheat seeds and fertiliser application in a single operation – reducing stubble management and sowing costs from ₹2,000–₹2,500 per acre to approximately ₹800–₹1,200 per acre, while also improving soil fertility and reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers in the long run. Farmers unable to adopt in-situ straw management methods could use Baler machines to mechanically collect, bundle and dispose of straw in a quick time. Over 30 village youth were mentored and supported with provision of Baler machines to initiate small businesses on paddy straw aggregation, supply chain management and value addition. Eighteen paddy straw-based small biogas units have been installed, and two bio-pelletization plants and one bio-fertiliser plant are being established under the program to enhance ex-situ straw management.

Farmers’ participation and sustained behaviour change was brought about through thousands of village-level meetings, farmer awareness sessions, and training programmes conducted in partnership with the Agriculture Department.

Chandrakant Pradhan, Lead – Climate Resilience, CII Foundation, said, “What makes this programme exceptional is the depth of community ownership it has generated. Farmers who once had no alternative to burning now champion in-situ management and actively encourage their neighbours. Across villages in Ludhiana, Sangrur and Fatehabad, farmers in large numbers have moved on from the practice of open field burning of paddy straw for years, to become harbingers of a zero burning movement just within a two-to-three-year time, a testament to what becomes possible when communities are equipped, educated, and trusted to lead change.”

The human dimension of the programme reflects its breadth of reach. Gurmeet Singh of Cheema village, Ludhiana, shifted to CRM practices across his entire farm in 2023 and has since halved his per-acre residue management costs. Paramjeet Singh, a small landholder from Lamba village in Fatehabad, found that access to a cooperative-owned Super Seeder eliminated the financial pressure of expensive private machinery rentals, making sustainable farming viable for even the most resource-constrained households.

As the programme continues through 2026–27, HDFC Bank Parivartan and CII Foundation are committed to deepening adoption in new villages, expanding ex-situ straw management infrastructure, and building long-term agricultural resilience across the region.