Biochar has evolved and how -  from a niche soil conditioner tracing its roots to ancient Amazonian civilisation to a globally recognized negative emission technology with a wide array of implications for climate mitigation, sustainable agriculture, pharmaceuticals and other circular economy transitions. As Lehmann and Joseph (2015) emphasize, biochar is not merely a soil additive but a systemic intervention which is capable of transforming biomass residues into stable carbon pools while simultaneously improving soil fertility and agricultural productivity.

More recent scholarship reflects a growing consensus on the policy and governance dimensions of biochar adoption. Shackley et al. (2022) highlight how national-level incentives, particularly within the EU, have integrated biochar into climate policy frameworks, while Igalavithana et al. (2023) argue that South Asian countries and India in particular must align biochar strategies with agricultural subsidies and waste management programs to unlock their full potential. The trajectory of biochar adoption is deeply intertwined with legislative support, spanning from carbon credit recognition to targeted subsidies and research funding.

Climate Policy Integration

• European Union: The EU has taken the lead by recognising biochar within its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and establishing certification standards through the European Biochar Certificate (EBC). Biochar is now eligible for carbon crediting and trade within voluntary markets.

• United States: The USDA supports biochar under soil conservation programs, and states such as California provide grants for biochar production from forestry residues, aligning wildfire prevention with climate goals.

• Asia-Pacific: Japan and South Korea have incorporated biochar into climate-smart agriculture initiatives, including subsidies for pyrolysis units in rural areas.

Carbon Markets and Incentives

Biochar projects are gaining traction in voluntary carbon markets (VCMs). In 2022, Puro.earth and Verra launched methodologies for biochar-based carbon credits, catalysing private investment (Woolf et al., 2021). The Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (IC-VCM) has since approved three biochar methodologies as meeting its Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). Puro.earth has updated its biochar methodology (2025 edition), strengthening provisions around permanence and durability. Isometric introduced a new module certifying biochar stored in construction materials such as concrete, with durability validated over a 1,000-year horizon.

These frameworks have positioned biochar as one of the most credible and premium carbon removal pathways, commanding higher credit prices relative to traditional offsets.

Research and Development Funding

Governments in the EU, China, and Australia have allocated substantial funding to biochar pilot projects, particularly in the context of rural development, wildfire risk reduction, robotics in biochar and industrial decarbonisation. These investments bridge both climate mitigation and socio-economic development goals.

The Indian Perspective

India, committed to achieving net zero by 2070, has yet to explicitly recognise biochar in its NDCs. However, scholars (Choudhury et al., 2021) argue that biochar could serve as a dual enabler of carbon sequestration and soil restoration. India’s policy environment already provides several indirect entry points for biochar adoption:

Agricultural Incentives

• National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): Promotes sustainable soil management; biochar can be integrated as a soil health enhancer.

• Soil Health Card Scheme: Encourages soil amendments, offering a pathway for biochar recognition.

• Pilot Programs: States such as Karnataka, Punjab, and Haryana are experimenting with biochar in rice - wheat systems, supported by state-level grants.

Waste-to-Resource Policies

• Crop Residue Management Scheme (2018): Offers 50–80% subsidies on stubble management equipment, improving feedstock availability for biochar production.

• National Bio-Energy Mission (MNRE): Supports biomass-to-energy initiatives, under which pyrolysis technologies producing biochar qualify.

Additional Legislative Anchors :

• National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): Under its National Mission on Sustainable Habitat and National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change, biochar could be formally introduced as a recognised negative emissions technology.

• Energy Efficiency Financing Platform (EEFP) and Partial Risk Guarantee Fund (PRGFEE): These financing mechanisms for clean energy projects could be extended to pyrolysis and biochar enterprises.

• Fertiliser Subsidy Reforms: India spends nearly ₹2 lakh crore annually on fertiliser subsidies. By recognising biochar as a soil conditioner under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), subsidies can be re-channelled towards biochar to reduce chemical fertiliser dependency.

• National Agroforestry Policy (2014): Provides an opening for integrating biochar into tree-crop systems, particularly for enhancing degraded land productivity.

• National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA): Could finance community-level biomass collection and biochar production units, generating rural livelihoods while sequestering carbon.

• Pollution Control Regulations: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has targeted crop residue burning in North India. Biochar presents a compliance-linked alternative that can be legislatively incentivised.

Emerging Institutional Recognition

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is considering the inclusion of biochar as a certified soil conditioner. Once formalised, this could pave the way for subsidy eligibility, carbon market participation, and R&D standardisation.

Unlike Europe and the US, where biochar’s momentum is driven by carbon crediting and certification frameworks, India’s policy levers are shaped by soil health, pollution control, energy security, and rural development. This multidimensional approach positions biochar as not only a climate mitigation tool but also a holistic development intervention.