Researchers at the University of Agricultural Sciences – Bangalore (UAS-B) in India, supported by the Union government’s Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and district Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) centers, have launched a practical outreach initiative to implement decentralized 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 production across ten districts in Karnataka. The project supplies smallholder farmers with low-cost kiln technology and specialized training to convert agricultural waste into high-value soil amendments, providing a sustainable alternative to open residue burning.

The program targets a severe decline in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) across Karnataka, where state assessments reveal that over 50% of farmland has dropped below the critical 0.5% SOC threshold, reaching over 94% deficiency in Kolar district. This soil degradation stems from interconnected agricultural pressures, including high chemical fertilizer consumption, escalating costs for traditional farmyard manure, shrinking livestock populations, continuous monocropping, and annual 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 burning, which collectively strip soils of vital microbial activity and moisture retention capability.

To address these technical and economic barriers, a research team led by Dr. Krishna Murthy at the UAS-B Department of Science and Agriculture Chemistry designed a portable 200-liter metal drum equipped with calculated aeration vents and a chimney pipe. Funded through RKVY, the university and local KVK units selected 100 progressive farmers across ten districts to receive free units and hands-on instruction. The apparatus allows producers to pyrolyze localized crop waste—including coconut shells, sunflower heads, and mulberry prunings—under oxygen-limited conditions within two to three hours.

The initiative demonstrates quantifiable environmental and agronomic improvements by locking 50% to 80% of biomass carbon into a stable, recalcitrant form that resists decomposition for decades. UAS-B field trials confirm that incorporating this locally produced biochar restores depleted SOC levels, increases soil water-holding capacity by 10% to 25%, and enhances overall crop productivity by 10% to 30%, offering a scalable model for smallholder agricultural resilience.