Are burning crop residues and grass good for soil health and fertility? Views from a farmer and an agricultural researcher

Notes to broadcasters

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Crop residues are the remains that are left over after the plant or crop has been put to use – for household food, for fodder, for sale, etc. In western Kenya, farmers usually spread these residues along their farm boundaries. Some residues may be used for making composted manure or laid on the floor of a cattle shed to mix with dung to produce manure fertilizer for crops.

In western Kenya, farmers have long known that burning crop residues is a bad habit. However, bean crop residues are often burned. The ash is often cooked with vegetables such as cowpeas to make them softer for eating. Farmers normally burn these bean residues in their homes. Apart from beans, only a few farmers burn crop residues, except when there are so many residues that they may take a long time to decompose. The practice of burning crop residues has its positive effects. What we must note is that its positive effects are very short-term, as the script will show.

In this script, a smallholder farmer and an agricultural researcher give different opinions on whether burning crop residues and grasses is a good idea. The farmer sees that burning residues makes her farming work easier. Burning controls weeds and pests, and improves yields in the season after burning. On the other hand, the agricultural researcher says that, over the long-term, burning destroys the soil. It causes increased soil erosion; it kills beneficial soil organisms, and eventually causes lower yields.

This is a complicated subject. Some researchers say that, in humid environments like western Kenya, it is not as harmful to burn residues as it would be in dryer environments. In dry environments, burning residues can reduce soil fertility quite quickly.

For some farmers, it may be easier and cheaper to burn residues and grass, even if it is not a good long-term strategy. Farmers may not have the labour or resources to grow cover crops, or dig residues into their fields, or adopt other practices that are better for long-term soil fertility and soil conservation than burning. They do not have enough labour to cut bush and pull weeds by hand. So they burn their fields and they see immediate gains.

However, broadcasters should help farmers understand that cover crops, incorporating residues, and other soil-building practices – including the residue and agroforestry practices suggested by the agricultural researcher in this script – are a good long-term investment, and will help them achieve good yields over the long-term. It’s important to note that not all these practices work in every climate. For example, farmers in dryer areas may not have sufficient mulch or crop residues to use some of these practices. Or all the residues may be needed to feed livestock.

This script is based on actual interviews. You could use this script as inspiration to research and write a script on a similar topic in your area. Or you might choose to produce this script on your station, using voice actors to represent the speakers. If so, please make sure to tell your audience at the beginning of the program that the voices are those of actors, not the original people involved in the interviews.