Knowledge about Causes, Effects and Mitigation of Soil Pollution among Farming Families of Punjab

India is an agrarian nation and produces huge amount of agriculture based waste. Farmers choose burning as an ultimate way to manage the large quantities of produce residue and also to get the field ready for the next crop well in time. Five worst hit districts of Punjab were Sangrur 6,662 stubble burning cases followed by Bathinda 5,798, Ferozpur 5,013, Patiala 3,983 and 3,751 cases registered with Muktsar. (Ludhiana Times, 13 November 2019). The burning of wheat and paddy stubbles & leftover straw in fields contribute to loss of soil fertility. Burning of straw leads to loss of valuable nutrients like 75.0 per cent of potassium, 50.0 per cent sulfur, 25 per cent nitrogen and phosphorus. The present study entitled ‘Knowledge about Causes, Effects and Mitigation of Soil Pollution among Farming Families of Punjab’ was conducted with the objectives to assess the knowledge level of respondents regarding causes, effects and mitigation practices for soil pollution and to study the application of mitigation strategies by the respondents. Data was collected from five agro-climatic zones i.e. central plain zone, sub-mountain undulating zone, undulating plain zone, western plain zone and western zone of Punjab state. From each of the selected agro climatic zone, fifteen farm families were selected randomly, the male and female heads of the family were chosen for responses, thus, in total 150 respondents were randomly selected. Data was collected using pre-tested structured interview schedule. A knowledge test was developed and pre tested for its reliability and validity. The data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents across all agro-climatic zones had high level of knowledge for causes and mitigation strategies but had medium level of knowledge about effects of soil pollution. Irrespective of high level of knowledge about mitigation strategies for soil pollution, very few respondents applied these mitigation strategies to combat soil pollution. It is suggested that in extension trainings/ camps more emphasis should be given on information about effects of soil pollution, so that people could be sensitized to take serious action to mitigate the effects of soil pollution. Innovative behaviour change communication strategies need to be applied to improve the practical application of knowledge gained.