After every harvest, Thailand’s rice farmers burn off the remaining rice straw and stubble to clear

their
land. The smoke carries far and wide on the wind.

There’s a lot of straw left on the field, typically a kilogram per kilogram of rice. If it’s left to rot, it will
release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, but burning the straw emits carbon dioxide a d creates fine
particulate matter that is harmful to people and the environment.

Rice straw is not a waste to be disposed, but a valuable resource. Farmers are paid an equivalent of 3
cents per kilogram of rice straw. The golden stalks are brought