GIZ and national partners convened a stakeholder dialogue in Chiang Rai to address the issue of agricultural burning and resulting air pollution in Northern Thailand. The dialogue aimed to provide a platform for mutual exchange on methods to combat burning and promote sustainable management methods for rice straw.

The event was part of the Piloting Sustainable Uses of Rice Straw project and was attended by stakeholders and representatives from the Department of Rice, the Department of Agricultural Extension, the Department of Agriculture, the Chiang Rai Rice Research Centre, the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Mae Fah Luang Foundation, Urmatt Ltd, Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading Co, Ltd, Chiang Mai University, Mae Fah Luang University, Maejo University, Thailand Development Research Institute and the Highland Research and Development Institute. Some 66 participants exchanged views and ideas and came up with potential collaborative recommendations for the next working steps.

Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and neighbouring northern provinces experience severe challenges from smoke and haze connected to the annual burning of rice straw and stubble due to the lack of post-harvest biomass management. The two upper northern provinces were recently ranked amongst the most polluted cities in the world. Haze and smoke from the burning contain PM2.5 dust particles, posing not only a public health risk of respiratory illness, but also contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

To combat the burning, Lt Dujdeaw Wongpak, Head of the Chiangrai Provincial Agricultural Office, introduced the Chiang Rai Zero Burn Model to participants. “Air pollution is a major issue faced by people in Chiang Rai. The province is committed through the Chiang Rai Zero Burn Model to contribute to solving the problem by reducing burning and supporting farmers to manage their rice straw,” he said.

Pouchamarn Wongsanga, Project Director, GIZ, introduced the ASEAN-led initiative which could help facilitate and put straw management into practice. The Piloting Sustainable Uses of Rice Straw project, which promotes bio-fertiliser production from rice straw through composting, is one of the win-win solutions for farmers and the environment. Farmers can substitute expensive fertilisers, save farming costs and earn additional income while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from biomass burning and fertiliser application.

“Rice straw is often burned by farmers because there are no feasible management options for agricultural residues available. If we can demonstrate and promote methods to turn rice straw into a valuable resource, we can ultimately reduce burning and contribute to improved air quality in Chiang Rai,” she said.

During the dialogue session, participants expressed their views on potential options and ways to tackle the burning problem. Feasible options were listed to avoid burning. Relevant incentives and regulations should also be developed for farmers to take action. Farmer representatives however emphasised that the issue of rice straw burning remained because of weak law enforcement and limited knowledge of and capacity for rice straw management. The existing unequal support from local government agencies could also discourage good practice in ploughing and rice straw utilisation.

In addition, the burning of forests is among the related issues interconnecting with agriculture and requires a broader landscape approach and stakeholder cooperation for a long-term solution to integrated landscape planning in the agriculture sector.

Dr Orathai Jaituy, Director of Foreign Relations and Special Project Group, Rice Department, gave the closing remarks, saying: “Key representatives from government, the private sector and farmers actively participated and discussed the agricultural burning issue, which need collaborative activities to tackle. As the organizational representative, I would like to thank everyone for their time and for sharing experiences to overcome this problem.”

The Piloting Sustainable Uses of Rice Straw project is supported by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the ASEAN Secretariat, and is implemented by GIZ, in partnership with the private sector, including Urmatt Ltd, a social enterprise focusing on organic rice as well as universities in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, who work to promote the production of paper, or biodegradable packaging to substitute plastic wraps that are harmful to the environment.