The global increase in population and economic development has intensified pressure on the agricultural sector to increase production of food. In Kenya, the agricultural sector accounts for 20% of Gross Domestic Product with maize, wheat and rice being the most grown food crops. Maize is the most grown staple food and it contributes to 30% of the total agricultural activities, and serves 90% of the population. With large volumes of agricultural products produced, large volumes of agro-wastes are equally generated. Maize residues generated in Kenya vary by county, with the largest maize producing regions such as Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu generating approximately 4.72 MT per acre and lowest producing regions like Makueni generating 0.43 MT per acre. Disposal of crop residues has become a global problem and most agricultural economies have resorted to burning, the most convenient technique of waste management. The practice is most prevalent in India, China and Sub-Saharan Africa. This review presents an overview of burning agricultural wastes as driven by different factors. It also addresses the detrimental effects of burning on health, productivity, economy and environment, delves into the state of residue management in Kenya and associated policies and presents possible alternatives for managing agro-wastes such as composting, biochar production, animal feeds, energy production, paper manufacturing and material development. In Kenya, maize stalk residues are mainly utilized for animal feeds and large volumes are improperly disposed. Therefore, alternative solutions should be enforced including enabling innovation-based solutions.
| Published in | International Journal of Sustainable Development Research (Volume 12, Issue 3) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11 |
| Page(s) | 142-157 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Agro-wastes, Burning, Economy, Environment, Health
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APA Style
Githinji, D. N., Jepkoech, R., Dulo, B., Ramkat, R., Githaiga, J., et al. (2026). Agricultural Wastes: Environmental Impacts of Open Field Burning of Crop Residues - a Review. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 12(3), 142-157. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11
ACS Style
Githinji, D. N.; Jepkoech, R.; Dulo, B.; Ramkat, R.; Githaiga, J., et al. Agricultural Wastes: Environmental Impacts of Open Field Burning of Crop Residues - a Review. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Res. 2026, 12(3), 142-157. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11,
author = {David Njuguna Githinji and Rebecca Jepkoech and Benson Dulo and Rose Ramkat and John Githaiga and Lydia Mwazia},
title = {Agricultural Wastes: Environmental Impacts of Open Field Burning of Crop Residues - a Review},
journal = {International Journal of Sustainable Development Research},
volume = {12},
number = {3},
pages = {142-157},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsdr.20261203.11},
abstract = {The global increase in population and economic development has intensified pressure on the agricultural sector to increase production of food. In Kenya, the agricultural sector accounts for 20% of Gross Domestic Product with maize, wheat and rice being the most grown food crops. Maize is the most grown staple food and it contributes to 30% of the total agricultural activities, and serves 90% of the population. With large volumes of agricultural products produced, large volumes of agro-wastes are equally generated. Maize residues generated in Kenya vary by county, with the largest maize producing regions such as Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu generating approximately 4.72 MT per acre and lowest producing regions like Makueni generating 0.43 MT per acre. Disposal of crop residues has become a global problem and most agricultural economies have resorted to burning, the most convenient technique of waste management. The practice is most prevalent in India, China and Sub-Saharan Africa. This review presents an overview of burning agricultural wastes as driven by different factors. It also addresses the detrimental effects of burning on health, productivity, economy and environment, delves into the state of residue management in Kenya and associated policies and presents possible alternatives for managing agro-wastes such as composting, biochar production, animal feeds, energy production, paper manufacturing and material development. In Kenya, maize stalk residues are mainly utilized for animal feeds and large volumes are improperly disposed. Therefore, alternative solutions should be enforced including enabling innovation-based solutions.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Agricultural Wastes: Environmental Impacts of Open Field Burning of Crop Residues - a Review AU - David Njuguna Githinji AU - Rebecca Jepkoech AU - Benson Dulo AU - Rose Ramkat AU - John Githaiga AU - Lydia Mwazia Y1 - 2026/07/11 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11 T2 - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research JF - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research JO - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research SP - 142 EP - 157 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2575-1832 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20261203.11 AB - The global increase in population and economic development has intensified pressure on the agricultural sector to increase production of food. In Kenya, the agricultural sector accounts for 20% of Gross Domestic Product with maize, wheat and rice being the most grown food crops. Maize is the most grown staple food and it contributes to 30% of the total agricultural activities, and serves 90% of the population. With large volumes of agricultural products produced, large volumes of agro-wastes are equally generated. Maize residues generated in Kenya vary by county, with the largest maize producing regions such as Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu generating approximately 4.72 MT per acre and lowest producing regions like Makueni generating 0.43 MT per acre. Disposal of crop residues has become a global problem and most agricultural economies have resorted to burning, the most convenient technique of waste management. The practice is most prevalent in India, China and Sub-Saharan Africa. This review presents an overview of burning agricultural wastes as driven by different factors. It also addresses the detrimental effects of burning on health, productivity, economy and environment, delves into the state of residue management in Kenya and associated policies and presents possible alternatives for managing agro-wastes such as composting, biochar production, animal feeds, energy production, paper manufacturing and material development. In Kenya, maize stalk residues are mainly utilized for animal feeds and large volumes are improperly disposed. Therefore, alternative solutions should be enforced including enabling innovation-based solutions. VL - 12 IS - 3 ER -
Department of Manufacturing, Industrial and Textile Engineering, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
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