Ecological and socio-economical nexus of biomass management- A women-led entrepreneurship

The pine needle briquette initiative in Almora district, Uttarakhand, transformed an ecological challenge of excess pine needle biomass contributing to forest fire risks into a valuable resource by producing clean-burning briquettes. It serves as a compelling model of sustainable rural development by effectively integrating gender empowerment with environmental and economic objectives within a WEF-FEG nexus framework.

The middle Himalayan belt of Uttarakhand presents a complex tapestry of agro-ecological and socio-economic challenges. Ecologically, the landscape has been significantly altered by the proliferation of Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) forests, which have often replaced diverse oak and broadleaf communities. This shift has had profound consequences. The shed pine needles, known locally as Pirul, form a dense, resinous, and hydrophobic layer on the forest floor. This layer inhibits water percolation, exacerbating water scarcity for adjacent farms, and accelerates soil erosion. Most critically, this accumulated biomass becomes a highly flammable tinderbox, fueling devastating annual forest fires that destroy biodiversity, release vast amounts of carbon, and damage soil health.

Socially, the region is characterized by a rural economy reliant on subsistence agriculture and forest resources, a system heavily sustained by women’s labor. Women bear the dual burden of managing farm and livestock while also spending several hours each day in the arduous task of collecting firewood. This drudgery limits their opportunities for productive enterprise and impacts their well-being. Compounding this, male outmigration in search of livelihoods has further feminized agriculture, increasing women’s responsibilities without necessarily enhancing their decision-making power or access to resources. This created a vicious cycle where ecological degradation intensified women’s burdens, which in turn constrained their ability to engage in sustainable land management.

The Strategic approach: an integrated nexus

Conventional development efforts often addressed these issues of forest fires, rural energy and women’s livelihoods in isolation. An UCOST (Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology) funded project focusing on demonstration and scaling up of Chir Pine leaves-based bio-briquettes technology to promote environment-friendly energy for employment and income generation among rural people in Uttarakhand, is implemented by the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (GBPNIHE) from 2022 to 2024, which broke from this pattern, by adopting a strategically integrated approach. The intervention was built on the core insight that the common problem, the pine needles, could itself be the solution. The strategy rested on four key pillars: deploying appropriate, low-cost technology that could be easily mastered; centering women as the primary agents of change; fostering collective action through groups and cooperatives; and instilling an enterprise orientation from the outset to ensure economic viability beyond the project’s lifespan.

The Initiatives: from demonstration to enterprise

The project’s implementation unfolded in three synergistic phases. The first phase focused on widespread capacity building, training 835 individuals across 30 villages in Almora district, in the end-to-end process of making bio-briquettes. The process involved collecting dry pine needles, carbonizing it in controlled anaerobic pits to produce charcoal, and then compressing the charcoal with a clay binder using a simple iron mould (Figure 1). A remarkable 66% of the trainees were women, ensuring the technology reached those most affected by the energy crisis.

The second phase involved strengthening the initiative’s scientific and economic foundations. This included validation the fuel’s efficiency and safety while conducting a detailed economic analysis that confirmed the enterprise’s viability, demonstrating a net profit of Rs. 165 per batch and a robust benefit-cost ratio of 1.49. Crucially, six women were trained as Master Trainers to ensure local ownership and continuity (Figure 2). The third phase focused on creating a supportive ecosystem, forging an impressive 30 linkages with NGOs, government departments, and private marketers to facilitate the sale of briquettes and embed the initiative within the local economy.

The Impact: a multi-dimensional transformation

The impact resonated across physical, social, economic, and ecological domains. Ecologically, the systematic collection of dry pine needles directly reduced fuel loads in forests, mitigating forest fire risk, while providing a clean-burning alternative to firewood helped reduce pressure on standing forests. Socially, the impact was profound (Figure 3). Post-project surveys revealed a 100% increase in women’s reported self-confidence and economic status, with 87.5% noting enhanced decision-making power within their households and micro-entrepreneurship. There was also a significant surge in women’s participation in community forest management and village meetings.

Economically, the initiative provided a tangible new source of income (Table 1). Tracking 30 stakeholders revealed a near 50% increase in their cumulative income, with individual gains ranging from 8% to 100%. Women began generating monthly earnings by selling briquettes to local households, cafes, and tourists, transforming a waste product into a valuable commodity and fostering a spirit of local entrepreneurship.

Table 1: Showcasing the intervention success indicators adopted towards gender nexus

The driver of success: ecosystem conservation and societal involvement in natural resource management

This intervention not only reduced forest fire risk and enhanced soil health but also provided vital ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, habitat preservation and soil stabilization, supporting overall biodiversity and ecological balance. Additionally, it improved cultural services by reducing indoor air pollution and health risks. The practice also contributed to ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) by strengthening forest resilience, regulating microclimates and reducing vulnerability to climate impacts such as fires and droughts. These integrated benefits highlight the intervention’s role in fostering climate resilience, ecological sustainability and community well-being, aligning with the core principles of ecosystem-based approaches.

The success of this initiative can be attributed to several key factors. First, it addressed a palpable and universally recognized point of the dry pine needles menace which ensured immediate community buy-in. Second, it masterfully connected appropriate technology with gendered agency and a clear enterprise logic, making it not just a skill but a profitable business opportunity. Third, the emphasis on collective action through groups enabled resource pooling, shared labour, and collective marketing, overcoming the limitations of individual effort. Finally, the proactive building of a wide support network of partners provided the necessary market linkages and credibility for the enterprise to endure.

Recommendations for scaling impact and integration of conservation nexus

For field-level practitioners, the next step is to introduce tiered, women-friendly mechanization such as ergonomic rakes and collection tools to further reduce drudgery and improve efficiency. Diversifying into by-products, like packaging and selling the nutrient-rich briquette ash as organic fertilizer, can create additional revenue streams. Facilitating the formal registration of successful groups into Women’s Producer Companies will enhance their access to finance and markets and develop consumer-oriented value-chains.

For policy makers, integrating this model into national schemes is crucial. Authorizing “dry pine needles collection for forest fire prevention” as permissible work under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaranty Act) would provide wages for collection and raw material for enterprises. Creating a “green credit” or direct payment to communities for every hectare of forest floor they clear would formally recognize and incentivize this ecological service. Finally, providing targeted subsidies for briquetting toolkits and facilitating bulk procurement of briquettes by state agencies would ensure the model’s scalability and long-term sustainability.

This women-led pine needles bio-briquetting initiative exemplifies integrated nexus thinking by bridging the interdependent spheres of energy, environment, and livelihoods within the mountain socio-ecological system. By converting problematic forest waste into sustainable energy, it mitigates forest fire hazards (environment), provides clean fuel reducing indoor air pollution (energy), and empowers rural women through new entrepreneurial opportunities (livelihoods). The transformed nexus framework integrates Water, Energy, Food, Forests, Ecosystems, and Gender, highlights how forest stewardship sustains hydrological balance (Water), clean energy access fuels community well-being (Energy), sustainable agriculture supports food security (Food), and biodiversity conservation maintains ecosystem health (Forests and Ecosystems) and provides an integrated approach to managing the complex interconnections among themselves coupled with proactive gender-inclusive economic activities which empower social resilience and equitable resource use. Together, these interconnected elements form a holistic approach, demonstrating how nexus-based solutions can simultaneously drive environmental sustainability, climate resilience and socio-economic equity offering a scalable model for mountain ecosystems globally.

It also emphasizes that pressures or changes in one sector affect the others, advocating for policy coherence and cross-sector collaboration to sustainably manage resources while promoting social equity. Identifying trade-offs and synergies, valuing ecosystem services, promoting inclusive governance, and enabling resilience through innovation are the key enablers of the present framework. Applied to the pine-based bio-briquetting intervention, this nexus framework demonstrates how sustainable forest management specifically the removal of pine needle biomass supports clean and renewable energy production. This helps reduce forest fire risks and mitigates climate impacts, enhancing ecosystem-based adaptation. Concurrently, the initiative fosters women’s economic empowerment by creating livelihood opportunities in biomass collection and briquette production, thereby strengthening social resilience in mountain communities.

By recognizing and addressing these interdependencies, the WEF-FEG nexus ensures that ecological conservation efforts are linked with community well-being and gender equity. Such an integrated approach enables the design of context-specific solutions that optimize resource efficiency and socio-ecological resilience, making the framework highly applicable to climate adaptation and sustainable development in vulnerable mountain ecosystems. This holistic nexus perspective positions the Pirul bio-briquetting project as a scalable and replicable model for mountain regions worldwide seeking to build climate-resilient, gender-inclusive, and environmentally sustainable economies.

Dr. Harshit Pant
Scientist
Centre for Socio-economic Development (CSED)
G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (GBP-NIHE),
Kosi-Katarmal, Almora-263643,
Uttarakhand, India
E-mail: harshit.pantj@gbpihed.nic.in