To ensure the food security of +1.4Bn Indians, farmers in India practice multiple cropping cycles and need to clear their fields of crop-residue ‘stubble’ before the next crop plantation. The quickest and most effective way is to simply burn it on the field, leading to +27Mn tonnes of stubble being burnt annually in the north Indian states of Punjab and Haryana alone.

While the auspicious nature of lighting fire makes this a culturally accepted practice in India, stubble-burning emits +160 Mn tonnes of greenhouse gasses; choking the entire north India with pollution.

Farmers get blamed despite their helplessness.

After stubble burning, the next crop they sow is potatoes. As their largest partner with 27000 farmers, it became our role to assist the farmer and ensure that our sourcing and supply are done sustainably, and not at the cost of the soil, climate or people who are associated with making it.

Lighting fire is auspicious in Indian culture, so we couldn’t stop stubble burning. But we could burn it the right way.

We found inspiration in the Indian Tandoor and partnered with Punjab Agricultural University to build a new design of an earthen kiln for controlled burning of stubble. Closed from the top, it has holes on the sides. Because of the heat, air expands and exits through the small holes with high pressure, which significantly reduces the amount of oxygen coming in.

Reduced oxygen leads to incomplete combustion of stubble which creates Biochar instead of ash. Biochar is a charred, carbon-rich soil amendment that not only remediates stubble burning but also redresses its impact.

The Biochar Project is not only a sustainable answer for stubble burning but is also an exceptionally viable soil conditioner directly influencing soil carbon, soil quality, crop production and food security, promoting economic and climatic benefits.

Every year stubble pollution impacts the health of millions. The blame is put on helpless marginal farmers who don’t have access to cost-effective solutions that clear stubble in time before the next crop.

Added to this, people consider stubble burning as just another agricultural practice- Not realizing that it is a ritual instead as lighting fire is auspicious in India and marks the sacred beginning of the next crops. To protect the people, environment and crop, we needed a system that clears stubble effectively without disrupting farmer’s faith and rituals.

We couldn’t stop the burning, but we could burn stubble the right way.

We found a cultural solution- the Indian Tandoor- a large urn-shaped oven used to make rotis by burning them in a controlled environment.

So instead of open burning, we proposed burning stubble in a closed earthen kiln to control the amount of smoke going out.

The earthen design of Biochar chambers can be made by farmers themselves from locally available materials. Farmers in India have traditionally made closed tents of mud and straw, so making biochar chambers came easy to them. This ensures its cost-effectiveness and scalability across Indian farms.

For the pilot, we took biochar straight to the epicenter of stubble burning- the Indian state of Punjab which contributes +95% to stubble burning. We installed the chambers around communities to take in large amounts of stubble in one sitting, ensuring all farmers clear fields in time and don’t miss the next plantation.

Through our agronomists, we are educating not only our farmers in Punjab but also their communities of young and old alike about Biochar and its positive impact on yield, soil, income and environment- ensuring both old farmers and the coming generation adopts sustainable farming practices without disrupting their faith in lighting fire.

Within one year of implementation, The Biochar Project has transformed the decades-old ritual of stubble burning. Not only has it mitigated pollution but has also enhanced soil conditioning leading to reduced fertilizer costs and an increase in farm yield.

1. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to open-air burning has cut down pollution generated by 50%

2. Improving food security and farmer's financial stability, crop yield increased by 19%

3. Ensuring responsible production, carbon-rich biochar reduces fertilizer costs to farmers by 33%

Recognized by the Indian Ministry of Agriculture for its groundbreaking impact, Biochar is an integral part of our pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, one decade earlier than called for in the Paris Agreement.