CNH Industrial is demonstrating how the right mechanization can help rice farmers move away from crop-residue burning, with a successful trial in Thailand showing a practical path to healthier soils and cleaner air.
In its latest A Sustainable Year feature, CNH highlights how equipment from its New Holland brand is supporting Thai farmer Pichai Tosa to manage rice straw sustainably after harvest.
Tosa, a well-established rice and mung bean grower in Nakhon Sawan province and president of a local rice production group, trialed a New Holland TT3.50 tractor and mulcher during the April 2026 rice harvest in central Thailand. Instead of burning, the straw was chopped and retained on the field or incorporated back into the soil to build organic matter.
The trial shows how appropriate mechanization can turn a disposal challenge into an agronomic advantage — helping farmers conserve soil moisture, return nutrients to the ground, reduce dependence on chemical fertilizer, and prepare fields faster for the next crop.
A Shift Away from Open Burning
In many parts of Asia, burning has long been the quickest way for rice and sugarcane farmers to clear fields. But the practice comes at a cost: air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, damage to beneficial soil microbes and loss of soil carbon. In central Thailand’s plains alone, an estimated 4.8 million tons of rice straw are burned each year.
“Farmers simply did not have that knowledge that the practice was harmful to the environment. But nowadays, new technologies and innovations have come in, giving us better options,” said Tosa.
Partnership-Based Approach
For CNH, the focus is on solutions that work in real farm conditions.“Farmers need solutions that work in their fields and respond to the economic and environmental realities of their businesses,” said Mark Brinn, Managing Director for Southeast Asia and Japan at CNH. “This trial shows how our equipment, practical training and local partnerships can help turn crop residue from a disposal challenge into a useful agricultural resource.”
The approach builds on CNH’s experience in India, where its Sustainable Environment Solution program combines mechanized baling, farmer training and field demonstrations to tackle stubble burning.
