Crop residue is plant material remaining after harvesting, including leaves, stalks and roots. Field residues are materials left in an agricultural field or orchard after crop has been harvested. Process residues are materials left after the crop is processed into a usable resource. The leftover agricultural crop residues exhibit not only resource loss but also a missed opportunity to improve farmers’ income. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (2009), estimated that about 500-550 Mt of crop residue is generated on-farm and off-farm annually. Stubble burning is the act of intentionally setting fire to crop residue to remove them from the field to sow the next crop. In India, it is the most common method in north western states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. As per estimates of MNRE (2009), Punjab produces approximately 19-20 Mt of paddy straw and about 20 Mt of wheat straw and 85-90 % of this is burnt in the field. Crop residues are a variable natural resource so their efficient management is essential for sustainable crop production. Crop residue management (CRM) is a major challenge for the farmers in Central Asia due to the unavailability of satisfactory methods to recycle. CRM should serve a double function, both confronting global warming and food security by increasing carbon sequestration in agriculture and increasing income of the farmers by increasing grain yields. The management strategy of crop residue should be principally based on the local situation. Alternatively crop residues can be used for organic weed management, compost, biochar, animal feed, particle boards and fuel briquettes.