Nepal's Soil Health Crisis: Over-reliance on Chemicals Threatens Agriculture, Biochar Offers a Solution

Nepal's agricultural sector is currently at a critical juncture, where despite green fields, the soil is losing its vitality. Our soil is not just sick; it is gradually losing its ability to breathe.

In the decades-long race for high yields, we have indiscriminately applied urea and DAP, along with a deluge of strong pesticides. As a direct and dire consequence, the organic carbon content, the true lifeblood of the soil, has alarmingly decreased in much of Nepal's agricultural land. This has turned fertile land as hard as stone, diminished its natural water-absorbing capacity, and exacerbated problems of crops drying up even in mild droughts and soil erosion during heavy rains. Our agricultural system stands at the brink of a silent yet profound crisis. Finding a solution has become imperative.

Increasing organic matter in the soil is not absent from Nepal's government policies and strategic documents. However, the unfortunate reality is that these policies remain confined to the drawers of Singha Durbar and on paper. The government implemented the Agricultural Development Strategy as a guiding document for the agricultural sector for 20 years, starting from the fiscal year 2072/73 BS.

The baseline year for this strategy recorded 1.96 percent organic matter in Nepal's soil, with an ambitious target to reach 4 percent by the fiscal year 2091/92 BS.

In this light, for the past 10 years, our plans have acknowledged the carbon content in the soil remaining at 1.96 percent.

However, a decade after the implementation of this strategy, there has been no concrete improvement in soil condition. According to the strategy's medium-term goal, this figure should have reached around 3.92 percent, but the reality is far from it. Even more perplexing is the data in our periodic plans, where there is no correlation between targets and progress.

The currently implemented Sixteenth Five-Year Plan aims to increase the organic matter content in the soil from 1.96 percent to 2.5 percent. Interestingly, the previous Fifteenth Five-Year Plan also set a target of reaching 2.4 percent, using 1.96 percent as the baseline.

In this light, for the past 10 years, our plans have acknowledged the carbon content in the soil remaining at 1.96 percent. This clearly indicates the complete failure of state mechanisms in improving soil health and increasing carbon content over the last decade.

On the other hand, the Nationally Determined Contributions 3.0, recently approved by the Council of Ministers, has committed internationally to reaching a minimum of 4 percent organic matter in the soil by 2035. However, as long as chemical fertilizers receive greater priority in budgets and programs, these commitments will only prove to be mere lip service.

Increasing the stagnant carbon level in the soil is no longer possible through traditional methods alone. The most reliable and scientific solutions for this are 'biochar' and proper management of agricultural residues. The practice of burning agricultural residues like wheat stubble, paddy straw, or maize stalks left in the fields after harvest is still widespread.

This not only increases air pollution but also turns the soil's living fertility into ash. Similarly, invasive species like Mikania micrantha are spreading in our forests and barren lands, displacing native vegetation.

All these problems can be transformed into a single solution: biochar production. Biochar, a black carbon made by burning such residues in a low-oxygen environment through pyrolysis, can sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds of years.

Biochar acts like a sponge in the soil, significantly increasing its water-holding capacity and preventing nutrients from easily washing away. It also provides a safe habitat for beneficial microorganisms. If farm waste and invasive weeds from forests are converted into biochar and returned to the soil, it will be much easier for farmers to transition towards organic farming technically and economically.

Under a results-based model, the environmental contribution made by farmers should be rewarded.

This is an essential step to meet the state's target of 4 percent carbon. However, it requires a significant change in the current subsidy system. The government has so far spent billions of rupees solely on the purchase and transportation of chemical fertilizers, which has not only made farmers dependent but is also rendering the soil barren in the long run. Transitioning to organic agriculture is not an easy process, as yields may decrease and labor costs may increase in the initial years, which can discourage farmers.

To address this economic risk, the new government needs to completely transform the subsidy model and implement a practice and results-based model. Under a practice-based model, the basis should not be how much a farmer has produced, but rather what scientific practices they have adopted to conserve the soil.

If a farmer uses biochar in their field, increases the use of compost or liquid manure instead of chemical fertilizers, grows cover crops, and adopts minimum tillage methods, the state should provide direct incentives through cash or materials based on these reformative practices. This will help compensate farmers for the initial economic losses incurred when switching from chemical farming. As farmers continue these practices, the positive results will begin to show in soil health.

Under a results-based model, the environmental contribution made by farmers should be rewarded. If, after a certain period, it is proven that the organic carbon content in a farmer's soil has increased from 1.96 percent to 2.5 percent or higher, the state should provide additional bonus or premium subsidies to such farmers or communities for the environmental services they have provided.

Such a system will not only motivate farmers to improve their soil but also establish them as responsible landowners. To make all these reform programs effective, the role of our traditional agricultural extension services also needs to be redefined. A mechanism must be built for technicians to reach farmers' fields directly, rather than being confined to offices or district headquarters.

The use of modern technology is indispensable to make this entire process transparent and reliable. Agricultural extension workers must implement a digital measurement, reporting, and verification (digital MRV) system. Data should be collected by taking geotagged photos through a mobile app or tablet on how much biochar a farmer has used or how they have adopted other organic practices. Once the collected details are verified by the system, arrangements should be made for the incentive amount to be directly deposited into the farmer's bank account.

Only by doing so will the manipulation by middlemen end, and it will be ensured that the hardworking farmers receive state benefits. Digital verification not only makes the data scientific but also helps in strongly presenting Nepal's efforts to reduce carbon emissions in international forums.

Increasing the carbon content in the soil is not just about achieving a technical statistic; it is a matter connected to the overall food security, public health, and the future of coming generations. Writing a 4 percent target in policy documents will not improve soil health.

If we continue to invest billions in chemical fertilizers as we are doing now, there will be no improvement in our soil condition for decades to come. The new government must understand this seriousness in time and have the courage to dismantle the traditional structure of agricultural subsidies.

Instead of burning agricultural residues, the work of filling the soil with life through biochar should be advanced as a national campaign. Agriculture cannot prosper by burdening farmers with debt and chemical poisons. Therefore, there is no alternative but to start this transformation journey towards organic agriculture from today. The sooner we start the work of reviving the soil's vitality, the more secure our soil and the future of the coming generations will be.