A Second Life for Vineyard Waste

Every pruning season, vineyards across Nashik are left with piles of cut vines that most farms have no good way to use. At the same time, grape farmers in the region contend with nutrient depletion, poor moisture retention and rising input costs. A training held at Sahyadri Farms in June 2026 brought these two problems together into a single solution: activated biochar, a charcoal-like soil input made from the pruning themselves. Eighteen members of ND Small Farmers Producer Company Limited, fourteen farmers and four management representatives, spent the day learning how to produce, test and apply it. The training was delivered by Sahyadri Fruits Producer Company Ltd. with the support of Fairtrade NAPP, using production protocols standardised at Sahyadri Farms and validated by the Centre of Excellence Biochar.

From Watching to Doing: Kiln Skills Farmers Took Home

The most important shift of the day happened at the kiln. Rather than sitting through presentations, participants prepared the feedstock, operated the kiln safely, carried out the activation process and applied the finished biochar at the recommended rates for soil enrichment. The live demonstration was followed by practical work in which farmers made and applied biochar on site themselves. Because they have been through the full cycle with their own hands, participants can repeat it on their own farms when the next pruning season arrives, without waiting for outside technicians.

Quality Checks Farmers Can Run Themselves

Producing biochar is one thing; producing it consistently well is another. During the practical sessions, participants tested simple quality control measures and recorded yields, following the standardised protocols validated by the Centre of Excellence Biochar. Each participant also received the standard operating procedures and a producer-friendly handbook to take home. This matters because it puts quality in the farmers' own hands: they can check what they produce, compare it against a clear standard and correct course themselves, which keeps the technology low-cost and locally manageable.

Early Signs of Healthier Soil

Soil health is the reason farmers in Nashik are paying attention to biochar in the first place. Applied to the soil, activated biochar supports soil organic carbon, nutrient availability and water-holding capacity, all pressing concerns in the region's vineyards. The demonstration plots where participants applied biochar during the training are already showing early signs of improved soil structure and moisture retention. These are first indications rather than final results, but they gave participants something rarely available in a training: visible evidence, in the soil itself, of what the practice can do.

A Business Growing Out of the Prunings

Alongside the production skills, the training opened a second door: biochar as a local enterprise. Young participants explored enterprise opportunities, business basics and market linkages for turning pruning waste into a value-added product that other farms need. By the end of the activity, several youth and producer groups had initiated pilot production runs and drafted business plans. For communities where pruning residue was previously burned or discarded, this points to new local income opportunities while keeping waste management within the producer organisation's own operations.

Support That Lasts Beyond the Training Day

A one-day training cannot carry a new technology on its own, and this one was not designed to. Participants left with the handbook and standard operating procedures, and with direct technical contacts at Sahyadri Farms and the Centre of Excellence Biochar for mentoring support as they begin producing on their own farms. These links are what make replication realistic: when a batch fails or a question comes up mid-season, farmers know exactly who to ask.

In the Farmers' Words

"Practically experiencing the demonstration process and understanding the dynamics of biochar was an eye opener.

- Nikhil Zhalte, ND Small Farmers Producer Company Limited, India

The Road Ahead for Nashik's Vineyards

This training is the first step in a longer plan. Fairtrade NAPP intends to extend the biochar training to farmers of other producer organisations, so that the practice spreads beyond a single company to the wider grape-growing clusters of Nashik. The ambition is adoption across two pruning seasons, with youth-led pilot enterprises producing, activating and applying biochar as a regular part of vineyard management.

There is still ground to cover. The pilot enterprises are at an early stage, and consistent quality, steady feedstock supply and a reliable local market for biochar as a soil amendment will all need to be built over time. What the participants now have is a tested method, materials to work from and people to call, and that is a solid place to start.