ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal

The burning of agricultural residues, commonly known as stubble burning, has become a significant environmental issue, particularly in agrarian economies such as India. This practice involves the intentional burning of crop residues like rice straw, wheat stubble, and sugarcane leaves to clear agricultural fields for the next cropping cycle. Although it offers short-term economic convenience to farmers by reducing labour and time, it leads to severe environmental degradation. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the environmental problems associated with agricultural residue burning, including air pollution, climate change, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and water contamination. It further examines the socio-economic factors driving this practice, evaluates existing policy frameworks, and explores sustainable alternatives. The study highlights that addressing this issue requires an integrated approach combining technological innovation, policy enforcement, economic incentives, and farmer awareness.