The Banni Grasslands Reserve in Gujarat's Kutch district is one of Asia's largest tropical grasslands and an important biodiversity-rich ecosystem. We support this project at Ecologi because it uniquely solves two problems at once.
First, the invasive Prosopis juliflora is spreading extensively, outcompeting indigenous grass species. This project turns that ecological threat into biochar feedstock, converting a liability into a tool for grassland restoration.
Second, cotton stalk, which is routinely burned by farmers ahead of the next sowing cycle, releasing stored carbon straight into the air. Used as biochar feedstock instead, it becomes carbon removal, habitat restoration, and a productive alternative to burning, all in one.
Biochar is a stable, carbon-rich material made by heating plant residues to 350-1000°C with little oxygen. It locks carbon into solid form long-term and boosts soil nutrients and plant productivity.
This community-led biochar project is one of the world’s largest, issuing ~15,000 tCO₂e per month with nearly 100,000 tCO₂e already delivered.
Utilising a sustainable feedstock is a critical component of effective and credible biochar projects. The project currently draws on two primary feedstocks: Prosopis Juliflora and Cotton Stalk.
Beyond carbon sequestration, the project delivers significant environmental and social co-benefits. It contributes to the restoration of degraded, invasive-infested grasslands, reduces harmful crop burning practices, and promotes the use of biochar as a soil amendment. This improves soil health by enhancing pH balance, water retention, and nutrient availability, supporting more resilient and productive agriculture.
Follow the latest milestones and updates from this project.
In September 2025, the Varaha team conducted an impact assessment to measure the co-benefits of the biochar project. Some key metrics include:
9,572 - Smallholders engaged in the project
236 - Communities engaged in the project
462 - Full-time jobs created
9,572ha of grassland restored through the excavation of the invasive species; and/or application of biochar onto the grassland
47,862 - tonnes of biochar applied to soil
In October 2025, 500g samples of both Prosopis juliflora and Cotton Stalk biochar were submitted for laboratory analysis. The results were as follows:
Metric
Prosopis juliflora
Cotton Stalk
Inorganic Carbon (ODB)
0.30%
0.61%
Organic Carbon (ODB)
83.64%
79.87%
These results indicate a high ODB (>79%) for both feedstock sources, indicating strong carbon sequestration potential and stability, demonstrating high-quality biochar.
Without this project, Prosopis would remain a net emitter, either through natural decay, which releases CO₂ and methane, or through its traditional use as fuelwood, where it is burned, emitting all its stored carbon immediately.
This project changes the carbon outcome by not only removing Prosopis but also permanently sequestering its carbon as biochar. In the absence of the project, Prosopis is either left to spread or is harvested for fuel, regrowing within four years without leading to permanent carbon storage. In contrast, the project’s intervention results in an additional 4-6 tC/ha of permanent carbon removal, further reinforcing its additionality.
Before the project’s inception, the invasive shrub Prosopis juliflora had spread unchecked across the Banni grasslands, steadily encroaching on native habitats. Its rapid expansion posed a serious threat to indigenous grass species and local biodiversity, as it displaced native vegetation and disrupted the ecological balance of the grassland Ecosystem. Removing invasive plants and converting them to biochar helps restore native ecosystems, boost biodiversity and allow local flora and fauna to recover and thrive. This intervention has already successfully restored 9,572 hectares of critical grassland.
The strategic application of the generated biochar back onto the soil also acts as a powerful regenerative amendment. Field monitoring demonstrates that native grass height is, on average, 31% higher on biochar-treated plots compared to untreated areas.
Knowledge Transfer
The project seeks to close the longstanding skill gap by delivering tailored training programs through the Global Artisan C-Sink Manager. Rather than relying on fragmented knowledge transfer, the initiative builds a structured pathway for individuals to develop mastery over sustainable biochar production. Training begins with practical instruction on assessing feedstock conditions, including moisture readings. These procedures are disseminated through structured training sessions designed to balance hands-on practice with theoretical understanding, encouraging knowledge sharing at the community level.
Community Engagement
Community adoption is fostered through awareness-building and education campaigns that clearly communicate the agronomic, environmental, and financial benefits of biochar. By engaging farmers directly, the project cultivates buy-in and a sense of ownership, securing the long-term sustainability of the initiative.
Air Quality
Biochar production eliminates the need for open burning of crop residues, significantly reducing air pollution and associated health risks.
Economic Benefits
The biochar production process can create new economic opportunities for farmers and local communities, transforming agricultural waste into a valuable resource and providing additional income streams.
The project has actively engaged 9,572 smallholders across 236 villages by providing free biochar to increase soil fertility and reduce chemical fertiliser costs. The project has also created local employment opportunities, paying a higher wage than the local baseline average.
The project involves training local community members in the procurement of biomass and generation and application of biochar, focusing on skill development and knowledge transfer. Our NGO partner also runs courses for the local youth every year to generate awareness about the grassland's ecology and biodiversity emphasising on the importance of conservation.
The project also involves training local community members in the procurement of biomass and generation and application of biochar, focusing on skill development and knowledge transfer.
The project's implementation partners (Sajeevan and ISAP) are led by women, which fosters a positive attitude within the community and serves as an empowering example of leadership and inclusivity.
The implementation partners speak with Gram Panchayats to directly recruit community members engaged in physical work. Representation of minority segments including women are verbally encouraged in these conversations. They estimate that 25% of project person-days were done by women participants.
The project's verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) demonstrates that the entire lifecycle (including mechanical excavation, infrastructure manufacturing, and logistics) maintains a net-negative emissions profile. By converting short-lived biogenic carbon from invasive wood (Prosopis juliflora) and crop waste (Cotton Stalk) into biochar via high-temperature pyrolysis (≥600°C), the project prevents rapid decay or open-field burning. This locks carbon into stable structures with a persistence of up to 1,000 years.
This project directly restores degraded grassland by excavating invasive Prosopis juliflora and converting its biomass into biochar — removing a species that would otherwise be illegally logged or converted to charcoal, while turning the removal itself into a source of carbon-negative soil amendment.
These partners help deliver the project and verify its impact.
Varaha is a leading global climate tech startup that specialises in nature-based solutions, including regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and biochar projects that promote climate adaptation, biodiversity, water conservation and increased income for smallholder land stewards.
The Global Artisan C-Sink Standard is for producing, processing, and applying biochar in agriculture. The standard guarantees that the biomass feedstock is sustainably produced in an artisan way, reducing emissions in the biochar production process. All aspects of the biochar’s quality are monitored and documented.
View evidence