Jalgaon: Crop residues generated in agriculture are not waste but can be a major source of income. Along with environmental conservation, carbon credits that are important for the country can be earned from it. Biochar is organic charcoal in the fields.
The 'Jain Industrial Biochar Project' to be set up to provide additional income to farmers along with sustainable agriculture will be a pioneer in the country, the tone was heard from the consultation dialogue session of the biochar project held at Jain Hills on Friday.
Jalgaon District Agriculture Superintendent Qurban Tadvi, Banana Research Center scientist Dr Arun Bhosale, Principal of Muktainagar Agricultural College Hemant Baheti, Cotton Researcher Girish Chaudhary, Researcher Ganesh Deshmukh, Farmer Representatives Kishore Chaudhary, Sudhakar Yewle, Lata Bari were present.
The workshop itself was inaugurated by lighting the lamp. After the inauguration, the objective and technical information of the workshop was given by Project Head Atin Tyagi. Similarly, Sreejesh Gupta gave detailed information regarding AA1000SES and PURO.EARTH. What is biochar? How is it prepared? How will it be useful for the environment and farmers, a presentation was made by Atin Tyagi and Dr Monica Bhavsar.
Jain Irrigation has started an industrial biochar project. In this project, biochar is prepared using residues from agriculture and food processing industries, such as mango coir, corn cobs, and cotton stalks. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated due to open burning of waste. Eco-friendly agriculture will be promoted.
The company aims to generate about 25,000 tons of biochar and more than 50,000 carbon credits by using 1 lakh tons of residue out of the 21 million metric tons of surplus agricultural residues generated in Maharashtra every year.
Global warming has increased in the last ten years. Due to changing climate, humans are facing droughts, floods, and natural disasters. Atin Tyagi said that the Jain Industrial Biochar Project can be effective in bringing prosperity to society through sustainable agriculture.
The biochar project being implemented by Jain Irrigation can be effective in increasing organic carbon to increase soil fertility. Farmers will get a source of income from agriculture as the climate changes. It will help improve the environment and increase soil fertility.
The country can also get income from carbon credits. Farmers spend a lot of money on fertilizers in the fields and burn them with crop residues. Unlike biochar, the same properties of the fertilisers applied will remain in the fields year after year, expressed Qurban Tadvi.
Sustainable Development Goals
The Jain Industrial Biochar Project aims to promote environmental sustainability, economic development and the development of local communities in a balanced manner.
The project helps reduce air pollution and related health risks by reducing the burning of agricultural residues. The use of biochar also increases soil fertility and improves crop yields.
The project creates employment and livelihood opportunities in areas such as residue collection, transportation, biochar production and its application in various agricultural applications. The project will add value to maize cobs, cotton stalks and other residues by purchasing them at a reasonable price from farmers and residue collectors.
In addition, the project will increase community self-reliance, social equity and long-term environmental benefits by increasing knowledge and skills about sustainable agriculture. It will also help in controlling the increasing global warming.
