Study co-authored by doctoral programme alumnus Dr. Subhankar Saha and Prof. Haritha Saranga of IIMB

13 March, 2026, Bengaluru: A research study co-authored by IIMB doctoral programme alumnus Dr. Subhankar Saha, now a faculty member at Ahmedabad University, and Prof. Haritha Saranga, Chairperson, IIMB Sustainability Taskforce and faculty in the Production and Operations Management (POM) area at IIMB, received the Babbage Industrial Innovation Policy Award 2026 from the Industry Studies Association. The paper is titled ‘Implementing a Comprehensive Intervention to Promote Sustainable Agricultural Practices in India’.

The study examines the persistent challenge of crop residue burning in Punjab, a practice that is shaped by underlying economic, technological and institutional constraints that limit farmers’ ability to adopt sustainable alternatives. The authors draw on satellite-based fire detection data, census demographics and primary farmer surveys to evaluate how a coordinated intervention involving multiple stakeholders can encourage the adoption of sustainable farming practices.

The findings, which offer insights for policymakers seeking scalable solutions, show that such interventions can deliver measurable environmental improvements while also generating economic benefits for farmers.