Farm waste management practices and knowledge on carbon emission and carbon sequestration among farming community

Introduction

Agriculture is the backbone of India's rural economy, providing livelihoods to millions of farming households. Along with food production, agricultural activities generate large quantities of organic and inorganic residues, collectively known as farm waste, including crop residues, livestock waste, and other agricultural by-products. Improper management of these wastes has become a major environmental and resource management concern, affecting sustainability and efficient resource utilization (Koul et al., 2022) [8] . Farm waste includes crop residues, livestock waste, bedding materials, food scraps, and processing residues (Mishra and Kameswari, 2025) [10] . Crop residues, which are the plant parts remaining after harvest, constitute one of the largest agricultural waste streams worldwide (bikkannavar et al., 2024) [3] . In India, rapid population growth and agricultural intensification have significantly increased the generation of bio-waste, while waste-management systems have not expanded proportionately, creating serious environmental challenges (Rao et al., 2024) [11] . Farm waste management plays a critical role in environmental quality and carbon dynamics. Unsustainable disposal methods such as open burning, indiscriminate dumping, and uncontrolled decomposition contribute to air, soil, and water pollution and increase greenhouse gas emissions (Lackner and Besharati, 2025) [9] . Crop residue burning, particularly in north-western India, has been associated with severe air pollution, depletion of soil organic matter, and reduced soil productivity. Crop residue burning is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution, highlighting its significant role in increasing carbon emissions (Venkatramanan et al., 2021) [15] . Likewise, stubble burning, although a quick method of field clearance, destroys beneficial soil microorganisms and releases substantial quantities of carbon dioxide and methane (Singh et al., 2025) [13] . Intensive use of chemical inputs www.extensionjournal.com further increases the carbon footprint when crop residues are poorly managed, while residue incorporation can improve soil fertility and carbon stocks, although its effectiveness depends on residue quality and management conditions (Komorowska et al., 2024) [7] . Sustainable farm waste management offers an effective alternative by converting agricultural waste into valuable resources. Composting and farmyard manure improve soil fertility, enhance soil structure, reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, and promote soil carbon sequestration (Zainudin et al., 2024) [16] . Practices such as residue incorporation, reduced tillage, residue-based nutrient recycling, and biogas production further improve soil organic carbon, enhance resource-use efficiency, and support circular economy approaches in agriculture (Koul et al., 2022) [8] . Similarly, in-situ residue incorporation, surface retention, and ex-situ composting have been recognized as sustainable strategies for improving soil health while reducing residue burning and greenhouse gas emissions (Shinde et al., 2022) [12] . Despite these benefits, the adoption of sustainable farm waste management largely depends on farmers' awareness and understanding of carbon emission and carbon sequestration. Information on farmers' knowledge of these climate-related concepts remains limited, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, assessing existing farm waste management practices alongside farmers' knowledge of carbon emission and carbon sequestration is essential for designing effective extension programs and promoting climate-smart agriculture. Against this background, the present study documents farm waste management practices, assesses farmers' knowledge regarding carbon emission and carbon sequestration, and evaluates the effectiveness of educational modules in improving awareness and encouraging environmentally sustainable farming practices. Objectives 1. To document the existing farm waste management practices adopted by the farmers. 2. To study the level of knowledge and awareness regarding carbon emission and carbon sequestration.

Methodology

The present study was conducted in Dharwad Taluk of Dharwad district, Karnataka. A multistage purposive random sampling technique was adopted for the selection of respondents. Five villages, namely Timmapur, Pudakalakatti, Mangalagatti, Mandihal, and Karadigudda, were selected for the study, and 60 farmers were randomly selected from each village, resulting in a total sample of 300 respondents. For intervention, a sub-sample of 30 farmers was selected from the total respondents to assess the effectiveness of the educational modules developed to improve farmers' knowledge regarding carbon emission, carbon sequestration, and sustainable farm waste management practices. Primary data was collected from the selected respondents. The collected data was analysed using appropriate statistical techniques, including frequency, percentage, Weighted Mean Score (WMS), Knowledge Index (KI), and the paired t-test, in accordance with the objectives of the study. The socio-economic profile of the respondents is presented in Table 1. The results showed that 47.33 per cent respondents belonged to the middle-age group, followed by the34.67 per cent respondents below 30 years and 18.00 per cent respondents above 50 years. The higher proportion of middleaged respondents indicated that farmers in their active working age played a major role in farming and household decision-making. Similar findings were reported by Gondali and Bose (2019) [4] . With respect to education,25.67 per cent respondents had completed high school, followed by 25.00 per cent with primary education and 22.33 per cent with middle school education. This indicated that most respondents had basic formal education, which could help in understanding and adopting sustainable farm waste management practices. Similar findings was reported by Arvind et al., (2025) [2] , while Angadi and Belli (2020) [1] reported that education had a positive influence on the adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies, whereas the majority of the respondents67.67 per cent were married. Regarding family type most of the respondents 42.00 per cent belonged to nuclear families, followed by 41.00 per cent from joint families. www.extensionjournal.com About 97.33 per cent respondents' main occupation is agriculture, while 50.42 per cent respondents had agriculture and allied activities as their subsidiary occupation. This showed that agriculture was the major source of livelihood and that farm waste management formed an important part of the farming system. Similar observations were reported by Bikkannavar et al., (2024) [3] . The majority of the respondents59.33 per cent belonged to the medium-income category. Further, 45.33 per cent Respondents belonged to the small farmer category and 68.00 per cent respondents had more than six years of farming experience. This indicated that the respondents had good practical farming experience; however, continuous technical guidance and extension support would still be necessary to promote climate-friendly farm waste management practices. Similar findings were reported by Jamanal et al., (2020) [5] . The seasonal cropping pattern of the respondents is presented in Table 2. The results showed that maize (60.00%) was the major crop grown during the Kharif season, followed by black gram (38.33%), green gram (24.33%), groundnut (23.67%), jowar (13.67%), cotton (10.33%), sugarcane (10.33%), soybean (9.33%), and paddy (7.33%), while the remaining crops were grown by a smaller proportion of respondents. During the Rabi season, chickpea (45.67%) was the predominant crop, followed by wheat (24.67%), jowar (20.67%), and maize (8.67%), whereas the other crops occupied comparatively smaller areas. The predominance of the maize-chickpea cropping system reflected the typical cropping pattern of the Northern Transition Zone of Karnataka under rainfed conditions. The cultivation of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and commercial crops indicated that the respondents followed a diversified farming system, which helped reduce production risk and improve resource-use efficiency, as reported by Felix and Ramappa (2023). This diversified cropping pattern also generated a wide variety of crop residues, such as stalks, cobs, leaf litter, and pulse haulms, creating greater opportunities for residue recycling, composting, mulching, and soil incorporation. Therefore, promoting crop-specific farm waste management practices could improve the resource utilization while reducing environmental pollution. The findings revealed that the respondents generated a diverse range of crop, livestock, biodegradable, and nonbiodegradable waste. Among the crop waste, leaf litter 85.00 per cent was the most commonly generated waste, followed by corn stalks68.67 per cent, cobs68.67 per cent, other crop residues64.00 per cent, and wheat straw24.67 per cent, whereas cotton sticks10.33 per cent, sugarcane trash10.33 per cent, and husk7.33 per cent was generated by a relatively smaller proportion of respondents. The predominance of leaf litter, corn stalks, and cobs could be attributed to the widespread cultivation of cereal crops and the generation of residues during harvesting and post-harvest operations. With regard to livestock waste, dung and urine 73.33 per cent were the major wastes generated, while poultry litter24.67 per cent and other livestock waste 29.33 per cent were reported by comparatively fewer respondents, reflecting the importance of livestock as an integral component of farming systems. Among biodegradable waste, vegetable waste was generated by all the respondents100.00 per cent, followed by fruit waste92.00 per cent and paper waste60.33 per cent, which may be attributed to their regular generation from household consumption and farm-related activities. In the category of non-biodegradable waste, plastic waste 78.33 per cent was the predominant waste generated, whereas e-waste4.33 per cent and other non-biodegradable wastes6.00 per cent were relatively low. The high generation of plastic waste could be due to the extensive use of plastic materials such as fertilizer bags, pesticide containers, and packaging materials in agricultural operations. Similar findings were reported by Varghese et al., (2023) [14] who observed that farm waste primarily consisted of crop residues, livestock waste, and household biodegradable materials. The availability of these organic residues provides considerable opportunities for sustainable waste utilization through composting, mulching, bioenergy production, and other circular economy approaches, whereas improper management may contribute to environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, as reported by Koul et al., (2022) [8] . www.extensionjournal.com

Results and Discussion

The crop waste utilization practices adopted by the respondents are presented in Figure 1. Mulching29.13 per cent was the most widely adopted practice, followed by animal feed29.00 per cent, manure making27.13 per cent, and composting25.27 per cent, whereas throwing away crop residues8.47 per cent was the least preferred practice. The predominance of mulching, composting, and manure making indicated that farmers recognized the value of recycling crop residues for improving soil health and enhancing resource utilization. These findings were consistent with the observations of Shinde et al., (2022) [12] . However, the continued practice of residue burning15.07 per cent suggested the need for greater awareness and extension efforts to promote sustainable residue management practices and reduce carbon emissions. [6] who noted that farmers generally demonstrated greater familiarity with practical farm management practices than with the underlying scientific aspects of climate change mitigation. These findings underscored the need for targeted extension program and practical training to enhance farmers' understanding of climate-smart agricultural practices and carbon mitigation strategies.

Conclusion

The study concludes that the selected farm families were predominantly small and marginal farmers with considerable farming experience and diversified cropping systems, resulting in the generation of a wide range of crop, livestock, biodegradable, and non-biodegradable farm wastes. Farmers commonly adopted traditional and locally available farm waste utilization practices, such as mulching, composting, manure preparation, and the use of crop residues as animal feed. However, the continued practice of residue burning by a section of the respondents indicates the need to promote improved and environmentally sustainable farm waste management practices. The findings further revealed that farmers had comparatively better awareness of conventional farm waste management practices that provide immediate agricultural benefits. In contrast, awareness regarding advanced and climate-smart technologies, including biochar production, biogas generation, carbon credit programmes, and other carbon sequestration strategies, was relatively low. This highlights the need to strengthen farmers' understanding of the relationship between farm waste management, carbon emissions, soil organic carbon, and carbon sequestration. The study therefore emphasizes that farm waste should be recognized not merely as an agricultural by-product but as a valuable resource with the potential to improve soil health, recycle nutrients, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance carbon sequestration. Strengthening extension services, improving access to scientific information, and promoting practical, location-specific farm waste utilization technologies are essential to encourage the wider adoption of sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices.

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