Our fourth season of biochar trials in India’s Ambajogai region delivered unprecedented results: a 56% increase in crop yield and a 19% rise in biomass. 

MASH Makes, in partnership with MANAVLOK, is the first to study biochar’s effects continuously over four seasons. This extended research shows biochar’s long-term power to enrich soil health and increase productivity—both during challenging droughts and under optimal conditions.

Four seasons of evidence: biochar’s proven impact

For decades, Ambajogai farmers have struggled with unpredictable and often declining rainfall, making stable yields a challenge. Biochar, a natural soil booster made from agricultural waste, helps soil hold more water and nutrients, making crops stronger and better able to survive dry spells.

This fourth season, marked by favourable weather, provided an opportunity to see biochar’s impact on yield and biomass when rain levels were closer to normal. The results were clear: biochar helps crops endure dry spells and delivers remarkable yield increases under improved conditions, too.

Season-by-season yield improvements

The four-season trial tested biochar at two application rates using chickpeas and soybeans. Over each season, biochar showed resilience-boosting and productivity-enhancing properties:

• Season 1 (Chickpeas): With initial application, biochar-treated plots saw yield increases of up to 25%.
• Season 2 (Soybeans): Despite a severe drought, biochar applications resulted in up to a 110% yield increase
• Season 3 (Chickpeas): Even with ongoing drought conditions, biochar provided a yield boost of 14.3%
• Season 4 (Chickpeas and Soybeans): In typical growing conditions, biochar treatment led to a 56% yield increase

A new standard for sustainable farming

MASH Makes is among few biochar producers worldwide to conduct multi-season research, going beyond the short-term trials that are common in the industry. This longitudinal approach has highlighted biochar’s cumulative benefits for soil health and yield. Unlike fertilisers, which provide immediate but short-lived nutrient boosts, biochar delivers a slow-release improvement in soil fertility, enhancing crop resilience season after season.

And we’re fighting climate change, too…

Beyond boosting soil health and crop yields, biochar is a powerful tool for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). When biochar is produced from agricultural waste, it captures and locks away carbon that would otherwise return to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide—a major greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. By converting waste into biochar and applying it to soil, we effectively "store" carbon in the ground for years or even centuries.

This makes biochar an asset for farmers and a valuable method for fighting climate change. For companies, organisations, and individuals committed to reducing their carbon footprint, biochar offers a tangible way to contribute to global carbon removal efforts. 

It’s a sustainable solution that benefits both the environment and agriculture, turning agricultural waste into a tool for long-term carbon storage and soil improvement.

Interested in biochar’s potential for your farm or agricultural project? Visit www.mashmakes.com/biochar.

‍