By Roopak Goswami
Guwahati: A Nagaland University-led international study has identified biochar — a carbon-rich material produced from agricultural waste as a promising low-cost solution to tackle water scarcity, soil degradation and declining farm productivity in Northeast India’s hill agriculture systems.
The study highlights how converting crop residues and organic biomass into biochar can significantly improve soil moisture retention, reduce water loss and enhance soil fertility, making it particularly suitable for rain-fed and slope-based farming landscapes like Nagaland.
Researchers say the findings are especially relevant for hill states where steep terrain causes rapid rainwater runoff and loss of nutrient-rich topsoil, while erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells continue to affect agricultural productivity.
The collaborative study involved researchers from Nagaland University, the University of Johannesburg, Amity University and Parul University.
According to the researchers, biochar acts “like a sponge” in soil by improving water-holding capacity and reducing irrigation needs. The material also helps reduce soil erosion and improves long-term soil health in terraced and sloping agricultural systems.
Unlike conventional irrigation or water conservation infrastructure, the study argues that biochar offers a nature-based and relatively affordable alternative by recycling farm waste into a valuable soil amendment. Researchers say it could help farmers reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers while improving crop resilience during drought conditions.
The findings have been published in Discover Soil, a peer-reviewed open-access journal published by Springer Nature.
Highlighting the significance of the research, Nagaland University Vice Chancellor Jagadish K. Patnaik said the work reflects the university’s focus on developing locally relevant solutions for hill agriculture and climate-resilient livelihoods in Northeast India.
The research was led by Prabhakar Sharma from the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Nagaland University, along with collaborators from South Africa, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Sharma said the study examined locally available biomass sources suitable for biochar production and assessed their potential use in steep and terraced farming systems.
Researchers noted that while biochar has been studied in conventional agricultural settings elsewhere, the present work specifically focuses on hill farming systems where runoff, moisture loss and soil degradation remain major challenges.
The team now plans to expand the work through pilot demonstrations in village clusters, terrace farms and horticultural plantations, alongside farmer training programmes and collaboration with government agencies to support wider adoption of biochar-based practices.