From burning stubble to building healthier soil
Read time: 5 minutes
Rice farmer Pichai Tosa successfully trialed a New Holland TT 3.50 tractor and mulcher during this year’s harvest in Thailand to explore practical and effective alternatives to burning crop residue.
For generations, many rice and sugarcane farmers in Thailand have burned leftover stubble after harvest. It is a fast and familiar way to clear fields for the next planting cycle. But it also contributes to air pollution, damages the soil and releases greenhouse gas emissions.
This issue has become increasingly urgent in Thailand, where high levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, have led to health warnings and school closures in Bangkok and the country’s northern provinces during the dry season. Burning crop residues can also damage the land itself, with high surface temperatures destroying soil microorganisms and contributing to soil carbon loss.
At the same time, Thailand’s evolving environmental framework is increasing pressure on farmers to move away from open burning. New regulations designed to improve air quality across multiple industries, including agriculture, are encouraging a shift toward cleaner and more sustainable residue management practices.
Thailand is one of the world’s major producers of rice and sugarcane, making the transition particularly important.
Eliminating open burning would protect around 70 million rai of farmland from heat damage.*
*According to the figures from http://www.thairiceexporters.or.th/production.htm the Thai Rice Exporters Association reports 60.291 million rai of harvested area for main-season rice and 13.106 million rai for off-season rice in 2025, making 70 million rai in total.
One rai is equivalent to 1,600 square meters (17,222 square feet), meaning the total area affected is approximately 11.2 million hectares (27.7 million acres) — roughly the size of Bulgaria.
In the plains of central Thailand alone, around 4.8 million tonnes of rice straw are burned annually. According to research from The Thai Rice NAMA project, an initiative that trains farmers in central Thailand in low-emission farming practices, re-using the straw rather than burning it would save between 467,000 and 934,000 tons of carbon emissions. Industry research suggests that 50- 70% of the straw can be baled and used for animal feed – the rest could be re-purposed as compost, biomass or mulch.
After harvesting rice, we usually burned the leftover straw and just discarded it. At the time, we didn’t realize that the practice could contribute to global warming. Farmers simply did not have that knowledge. But nowadays, new technologies and innovations have come in, giving us better options
Farmers talking to farmers
Pichai Tosa has been a rice farmer all his life and now farms 150 rai (240,000 square meters or about 59 acres) in Nakhon Sawan province in central Thailand. Rice remains his main crop and he also grows mung beans as a secondary crop after the rice harvest. As president of the rice production group in the province, under the Ministry of Agriculture, he wanted to understand more about using mechanization and technology to process the stubble left after the rice harvest in a more sustainable way.
“After harvesting rice, we usually burned the leftover straw and just discarded it,” says Mr. Pichai. “At the time, we didn’t realize that the practice could contribute to global warming. Farmers simply did not have that knowledge. But nowadays, new technologies and innovations have come in, giving us better options.”
In April 2026, he used a New Holland mulcher for the first time, pulled by the company’s TT 3.50 tractor. The mulcher chops the rice straw so it can either be spread as a cover, holding moisture in the soil, or ploughed back into the ground as an organic form of fertilizer. That in turn helps reduce production costs for the next planting cycle.
After Mr. Pichai had used the machinery himself, he invited other farmers in the area to come and see it in action or try it themselves.
“When farmers talk to other farmers, it’s easier for them all to understand and trust each other,” says Mr. Pichai. “Sometimes, when government officials explain things, it may not connect as well.”
Pictures of Mr. Pichai Tosa.
Machinery showcase
Mr. Pichai had the opportunity to try out the New Holland machinery after attending a Green Gain Day, organized by the Nakhon Sawan Agricultural Extension Department. Companies including CNH demonstrated mechanized solutions that help farmers move away from stubble burning and increase productivity.
The event, held at the New Holland model farm at Nakhon Sawan College of Agriculture and Technology in February, brought together government agencies, agricultural co-operatives and farmers to explore different no-burn approaches. The model farm is part of CNH and New Holland’s collaboration with the college to support hands-on machinery training, field demonstrations and knowledge transfer for students, farmers and the wider agricultural community.
“At the time, I didn’t think I would have a chance to actually use the New Holland equipment,” says Mr. Pichai. “What stood out to me was how easy it was to use the tractor with the mulcher.”
However, he got in touch with a provincial agriculture officer after the event, who arranged for him to see the New Holland machinery in use on a farm. Afterwards, he was offered the opportunity to borrow it to use on his own land.
Mr. Pichai didn’t use a baler during the three-month trial but says there is a ready market for rice straw bales and that using the mulcher and baler together will be the most efficient way to deal with crop residue for most farmers.
“Straw can be used for livestock feed and also to cover the soil, for example under fruit trees, to control weeds and retain moisture in the ground,” he says. “Using the mulcher means the chopped straw is plowed back into the ground, which makes it more fertile and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. In future, I believe both methods can work side-by-side.”
Making mechanization accessible
In Thailand, New Holland is especially well-established in tractors, while balers and mulchers are important growth areas within its broader machinery offering. These products support the Company’s sustainability ambitions by helping farmers manage crop residue more efficiently and without burning.
However, the cost of the machines is beyond the reach of small farmers, says Mr. Pichai. He has called for government agencies to support farmer access through programs such as the one he took part in with New Holland and the provincial agricultural office.
At the same time, farmers also need to make the case to government agencies for what they need. The support of private-sector companies such as CNH is also invaluable for enabling access to the highest-quality machinery, he adds.
“If farmers are not allowed to burn, there must be proper support systems in place,” he says. “And farmers should raise these issues with provincial leaders, such as the governor or the provincial agricultural officer, so they can bring them into committee discussions and help find practical solutions together.”
This collaboration with farmers like Pichai Tosa in Thailand highlights New Holland’s commitment to supporting more sustainable farming practices. By combining practical machinery solutions with training, field demonstrations and local partnerships, New Holland is helping farmers manage crop residues without burning, turn waste into useful resources and explore more accessible pathways toward lower-impact agriculture.
This collaboration with farmers like Pichai Tosa in Thailand highlights New Holland’s commitment to supporting more sustainable farming practices.
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