Why Farmers Burn the Fields

Why Farmers Burn the Fields

This farmer is harvesting sugarcane. Have you noticed the ground?
The leaves are all gone. That's because farmers burn the fields before harvesting. It clears the dry leaves, leaving only the sugarcane stalks for easy cutting.

Vast sugarcane plantations like this produce a lot of dry leaves.
Burning them clears the field, making it easier to access the valuable stalks used for sugar production. The fire also drives out pests, insects, and snakes. In India, for example, some sugarcane farmers were bitten by cobras hiding in the leaves. Burning makes harvesting safer and faster. The dry leaves also add extra weight, so by burning them, the total weight transported to processing plants is reduced, saving costs.

However, there are environmental concerns with this practice, such as air pollution, soil degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Many farms are now shifting to 'green harvesting,' which avoids burning altogether.
#sugarcane #sugarcanefarming #sugarcanecultivation #farming #agriculture #agriculturelife #agriculturalinsights #farminglife #uniquefacts #uniqueshorts #interestingfacts #interestingshorts #interesting

[aminadabbello]

In Mexico the tops are cut and then are fed to the cows. They love it.

[VickyCooksalot]

Yep, born and raised in Hawaii. I remember when it was harvest time. Green harvesting can be dangerous. The leaves are like razer blades.

[SaradinduGhosh-qd]

Burning of leaves and stumps of paddy field causes loss of nutrients which goes underground, when plowed, for the next season and rot by microbes and water . This costs nothing . Smokes evolved
from burning of leaves etc . creates troubles for neighbouring population by harming the respiratory system. This practice was seen in the firms of
Burdwan district as early as 1970 when our fields were fed with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides . New technologies overwhelmed our thinking abilities and we were running after our teachers who learnt modern technologies
elsewhere. We
forgot what our forefathers taught us . We lost animal fodder e.g., stalks of paddy, and stacks of jute which were used to thatch our homes .

[paigeraya]

In India, we have skilled workers to harvest sugarcane without leaves😂😂we don't burn the sugarcane 😂😂😂

[RiggyRonnie]

Soil absolutely 100% does love brush fires

[erikad]

Thank goodness some are trying out different green harvesting techniques! .... Also anyone else think that truck was gonna tip?

[josephrobinson]

The soil is actually improved with that level of burning. Here in Florida if they didn’t burn the sugarcane fields, there would be a deficit of potassium

[nullhydrangea]

I like how you mention the negative effects of these practices as well and the alternatives

[sharonwong]

Convenient for the farmers but it wreaks havoc environmentally. I'm.Malaysia, we suffocate for weeks and weeks with coughs and allergy problems when Indonesia burns their fields.

[sabhijeet]

Indians don't burn shugarcan farm, its affect quality of shugar.

[sangazo]

snake biting is a real concern, 2 million people are bitten by snakes in Asia every year

[Tipsona]

Snakes don’t hide those leaves they can get cuts by sharp edges of leaves and attacked by aunts. We never had snakes in sugar-cans’ fields.

[moninamonsale]

I grow up and work in a sugarcane field in the Philippines.What I know is when a sugarcane farm was burned they need to harvest faster because they will produce less sugar. Besides fire can burn houses near the farm especially if the wind is stronger. Nowadays they use pesticides to kill the grass, That too create more trouble because animals may die if they ate them. Also we lost all the wild vegies that grow in the farm.

[sarathipraveenkumar]

What about the air pollution & environment issues caused by burning the leaves...

[AhJodie]

Much of those plants are green, and burning them causes a lot of smoke. Part of the real problem is growing one plant. If snakes are a problem, then perhaps something else should be grown, like fruit trees. But sugar cane is easy to grow and make money. Big machines could prevent snake bites but then the farmers go into debt. People can complain but many continue to eat sugar. ❤

[ambersykora]

Green manures are great for soil fertility and moisture building...so is burning... There's no added moisture though...all that is left is the minerals which is returned back to the soil.

[Vanidade]

This is from far away in the past.
Nowadays, there are combines that can seamlessly harvest tons of cane a day.

Only very small producers, in very poor countries, do like that.

[birgitfenzl]

Here in Brazil we are changing to green harvesting.

[johnbethea]

Yes, years ago, we burnt the sugar cane field to get rid of grass and leaves. The heat also made the sugar canes sweeter.

[mathewp]

ഇത് ഇങ്ങനെ കത്തിക്കുമ്പോ വരുന്ന ആ പുക, സിമന്റ്‌ തരി പോലെ ഒരു സാധനം ആണ്. അതിന് 'Bagasse' എന്ന് പറയും. ഇത് ശ്വസിക്കുന്നത് വളരെ വളരെ അഴുക്ക് ആണ്. Asbestos എങ്ങിനെ ശ്വാസകോശത്തെ ബാധിക്കുമോ അതുപോലെ തന്നെ.