Nepal is defined by its majestic topography, yet its most pressing existential crisis lies in the escalating degradation of the nation’s soil and a crippling dependency on imported fertilisers. This instalment of Nations of BiocharBiochar is a carbon-rich material created from biomass decomposition in low-oxygen conditions. It has important applications in environmental remediation, soil improvement, agriculture, carbon sequestration, energy storage, and sustainable materials, promoting efficiency and reducing waste in various contexts while addressing climate change challenges. More details how Nepal can integrate biochar technology into its national climate strategy, leveraging its globally celebrated model of Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) to revive its agricultural land, secure its economy, and cement indigenous knowledge at the heart of its climate action.

In this week’s Nations of Biochar article, I will be reflecting on some of my first hand experience of Nepal, having travelled there for research with the University of Sheffield. During this time, I spoke with community chiefs, farmers, local business owners and forestry officers; in order to understand how forest management really worked ‘on-the-ground’. Across all of these interviews, one common motif arose: fire. Now, if fire has been a cornerstone of both traditional and modern forest management – as seemed to be the case, then why couldn’t biochar play a role…?

This article will be in no way commenting on the recent political unrest in Nepal. Whilst it is key to discuss environmental policy in context, there is too much to unpack within the confines of this article. 

What is Going in Nepal’s Soil?

The long-term health of Nepal’s agricultural land is severely compromised by a combination of physical degradation and economic reliance on external inputs.

How is Nepal’s Soil Nutrient Deficient?

Intensive cropping and rapid erosion across Nepal’s mountainous terrain have led to a critical decline in soil health.

• Organic Matter Loss: Approximately 60% of soil in Nepal now has low organic matter (OM) content.
• Nutrient Imbalance: The annual loss of plant nutrients from farmland is estimated at 310 kg per hectare (kg ha−1), a figure far greater than the 67 kg ha−1 added back through fertiliser sources.
• Soil Acidification: The extended use of certain nitrogen-containing fertilisers is contributing to soil acidification, limiting the uptake of essential micronutrientsThese are essential nutrients that plants need in small amounts, kind of like vitamins for humans. They include things like iron, zinc, and copper. Biochar can help hold onto these micronutrients in the soil, making them more available to plants.   More by crops.

What is the Structural Cost of Imports?

Nepal has no domestic chemical fertiliser production, making its entire agricultural sector vulnerable to global market volatility and severe supply chain issues.

• Import Dependence: Nepal’s consumption rate of synthetic fertilizer is low compared to its neighbours (e.g., 97 kg ha−1 in 2021, compared to 384 kg ha−1 in Bangladesh), yet it is almost entirely dependent on imports, making any consumption precarious and volatile. 
• Supply Shortages: Current supplies of chemical fertilisers only meet roughly 60% of the national demand, leading to perennial shortages during peak cropping seasons. The government has allocated considerable funds – NPR 27.9 billion (USD 208.4 million) in one budget year – for fertiliser subsidies alone, underscoring the enormous financial cost of this dependency.

How can Biochar be the Decentralised Solution in Nepal? 

The pathway to reducing this dependency and restoring soil health lies in converting abundant waste biomassBiomass is a complex biological organic or non-organic solid product derived from living or recently living organism and available naturally. Various types of wastes such as animal manure, waste paper, sludge and many industrial wastes are also treated as biomass because like natural biomass these More into a stable, locally produced soil amendmentA soil amendment is any material added to the soil to enhance its physical or chemical properties, improving its suitability for plant growth. Biochar is considered a soil amendment as it can improve soil structure, water retention, nutrient availability, and microbial activity.   More: biochar.

How can Biomass be a National Asset?

Nepal generates enormous quantities of organic waste from agricultural residues (like rice, maize, and wheat), municipal waste, and forest residue. A study estimates that by converting waste biomass, Nepal could produce between 1.7 to 5.0 million tonnes of pellet or briquette and biochar annually. If it were 5 million tonnes of biochar – this could sequester up to 12.5 million tonnes of CO2e (using a 2.5 conversion factor). That is just under 80% of Nepal’s total emissions (15.8 million tonnes).

This conversion aligns perfectly with national climate targets:

• Climate Strategy Alignment: Nepal’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and Long-Term Strategy aim for net-zero emissions by 2045 and focus on mitigating emissions in the forest and energy sectors. Biochar production from waste biomass is an excellent strategy for both energy and sequestration. The conversion of this waste could also cut the country’s carbon dioxide (CO2​) emissions by up to 52% and meet up to 12% of current energy consumption, often by replacing coal in industries such as brick kilns.
• Forest Management Co-benefit: The country also aims to maintain 45% of its total area under forest cover. Biochar production encourages the clearing of forest waste and debris – the non-timber biomass – through systematic, sustainable thinning practices, improving forest health and contributing to the avoided emissions associated with forest degradation. It may seem counterintuitive to thin woodlands for forest cover, but in doing so you are able to preserve the health of that forest, whilst reducing fire risks and also enabling more long term carbon storage through repeated cycles of cultivation.

How can the CFUG Engine and Indigenous Knowledge be Leveraged?

The Community Forest User Group (CFUG) model is the ideal institutional engine for decentralised biochar production, as it functions at a localised level – making contextual adaptations efficient and relevant. There are 23,682 CFUGs managing approximately 37.67% of Nepal’s national forest. In the 1950s, the government attempted to nationalise the system but this failed and governance was returned to the communities. However, scholars suggest that there is still a lot of governmental influence in the practicalities and bureaucracy of forest management.

1. Reconciling Management Styles: My research in Chautara revealed that the supposed binary between traditional Community Forest Management (CFM) and Scientific Forest Management (ScFM) is often a scholarly construct; local practices frequently use a blend of both systems, such as the institutionalisation of traditionally derived controlled burning methods. Biochar can provide a fusion technology – it uses the traditional practice of clearing forest waste to create a science-backed, high-efficacy soil amendment, reconciling production with protection.
2. Local Economic Autonomy: The sale of biochar and bio-briquettes derived from forest thinning offers a new, sustainable income stream for CFUGs. This moves the focus from potentially destructive timber extraction to regenerative waste valorisation, improving the CFUGs’ capacity for revenue generation and mobilisation. Forests do not have to be static carbon reservoirs but instead they can return to being used as resources; now with an environmental and socioeconomic leaning.

How does Biochar Improve the Soil in Nepal?

Applied to agricultural lands, biochar directly tackles Nepal’s soil and fertiliser crises:

• Acidity Correction: Biochar is typically alkaline, allowing it to effectively raise the pHpH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. A pH of 7 is neutral, while lower pH values indicate acidity and higher values indicate alkalinity. Biochars are normally alkaline and can influence soil pH, often increasing it, which can be beneficial More of Nepal’s acidic soils. This process is essential for making nutrients more available to plants, a crucial step toward reversing soil nutrient depletion.
• Nutrient and Water Retention: The porous structure of biochar significantly increases the soil’s Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and water-holding capacity. This acts as a long-term nutrient and water reservoir, boosting the efficiency of any existing fertilisers and making crops more resilient to erosion and erratic rainfall.
• Food Security and Sovereignty: By improving the inherent fertility of the soil, biochar reduces the required dosage of synthetic fertilisers, insulating the agrarian economy from the catastrophic supply shortages and price volatility associated with imported inputs. This local, self-sustaining approach encourages a shift back to local varieties, addressing the dependence on imported hybrid seeds that are displacing native species.

How can Biochar move Past The Bureaucracy Barrier?

The primary challenge to scaling this model, noted in the literature, is bureaucratic rigidity. I found my own experience echoed this. There is clearly a struggle for autonomy across different levels of governance, and this is a barrier to progress and innovation. It is cleat that any solution surrounding biochar will need to be co-created at the local and regional levels. Otherwise these institutional constraints will lead to the under-utilisation of forest resources, perpetuating a protection-oriented cycle that alienates the community from the forest.

For biochar to fulfil its potential as a national solution, the government must translate legal authority into full operational jurisdiction for the CFUGs. By entrusting the community with the management and valorisation of their non-timber waste biomass, Nepal can transform a bureaucratic bottleneck into a green economic driver, accelerating its soil regeneration efforts and securing a more sustainable, locally driven climate future. 

What does this mean for first steps? In my mind, dissemination is key. With soil health being as volatile as it is, many farmers cannot risk this going wrong. Clear communication on how biochar can be used to wean Nepalese farming off synthetic fertilizers is key. Additionally, the path for investment must be small-scale, as I believe large biomass pyrolysisPyrolysis is a thermochemical process that converts waste biomass into bio-char, bio-oil, and pyro-gas. It offers significant advantages in waste valorization, turning low-value materials into economically valuable resources. Its versatility allows for tailored products based on operational conditions, presenting itself as a cost-effective and efficient More hubs would not work in Nepal, due to insufficient travel infrastructure and challenging terrain. Smaller, more modular, units would be ideal. These could be owned and maintained by the CFUGs with a view that they can operate and modify them to their specific needs. This way, a biochar emboldened agroforestry transition is not only effective, but equitable. 

Ready to see how biochar can transform another country’s future? Let me know which nation you’d like me to cover next in this series! Feel free to drop me an email at: ralph@biochartoday.com