Every winter, thick smoke from burning crop residue blankets parts of northern India. For many farmers, stubble left behind after harvest is often seen as a burden — expensive to manage and difficult to dispose of.
But imagine if that same agricultural waste could become a source of income.
In the coming years, technologies being tested across the world could allow farmers to convert crop residue such as paddy straw, wheat stalks and maize waste into green hydrogen — a clean fuel increasingly being called the energy source of the future. Instead of burning leftover biomass, farmers could sell it or process it for energy production, creating an additional revenue stream from material that currently goes unused.
Green hydrogen could turn renewable energy into a clean fuel source capable of transforming how farms are powered. Photograph: (Feminism In India)
This is just one example of how green hydrogen could reshape Indian agriculture. While discussions around hydrogen often focus on heavy industries and transport, its impact may eventually be felt much closer to home — on farms, in irrigation systems, and even in the fertilisers that help grow the country’s food.
What exactly is green hydrogen?
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but it rarely exists on its own. To use it as fuel, it must first be separated from other compounds.
Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind power. Because the process avoids fossil fuels, it produces little to no carbon emissions.
This makes green hydrogen different from conventional hydrogen, which is typically produced using natural gas and releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide.
India sees green hydrogen as a key part of its clean energy transition and has launched major initiatives to scale up production over the coming decade.
1. More stable fertiliser costs for farmers
One of the most immediate benefits of green hydrogen could come through fertilisers.
India’s fertiliser industry depends heavily on imported natural gas and ammonia. As global energy prices fluctuate, fertiliser production costs often rise, increasing pressure on government subsidies and creating uncertainty in agricultural supply chains.
By reducing dependence on imported natural gas, green hydrogen could help make fertiliser supply more stable for Indian farmers. Photograph: (Unsplash)
Green hydrogen offers an alternative.
It can be combined with nitrogen from the air to produce green ammonia — the key ingredient used in many nitrogen-based fertilisers.
By manufacturing ammonia domestically using renewable energy, India could reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels and make fertiliser production more resilient to global disruptions.
For farmers, this could eventually translate into more stable fertiliser availability and less exposure to international price shocks.
2. Turning agricultural waste into an income source
Agricultural residue is often treated as waste, but green hydrogen technologies could change that perception.
Biomass-to-hydrogen systems can convert crop residue into hydrogen and methane through specialised processing methods.
Instead of paying to remove agricultural waste or resorting to stubble burning, farmers could potentially sell biomass to hydrogen producers or participate in local energy-generation projects.
The model creates value from materials that currently generate little or no income. In regions where crop residue is abundant, this could open up an entirely new rural economy centred around clean energy production.
For policymakers working towards improving farm incomes, the idea of farmers becoming energy suppliers rather than just food producers is fascinating.
3. Reliable power for irrigation and rural communities
Access to dependable electricity remains a challenge in many rural areas, especially for energy-intensive activities such as irrigation.
Green hydrogen can act as a form of energy storage. Excess solar or wind power can be used to produce hydrogen, which is then stored and later converted back into electricity through fuel cells when required.
From irrigation pumps to village microgrids, hydrogen-based energy systems could help bring more reliable electricity to rural communities. Photograph: (IEEFA)
This means farmers could have access to power even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
Hydrogen-based microgrids could help provide round-the-clock electricity to remote villages, reducing dependence on diesel generators and improving energy security for irrigation pumps, cold storage facilities and farm operations.
4. Cleaner tractors and smarter farm equipment
Modern agriculture increasingly depends on machinery, but most farm equipment still runs on diesel.
In the future, hydrogen fuel cells could power tractors, harvesters and other heavy agricultural machines without producing harmful tailpipe emissions.
Cleaner hydrogen-powered tractors and harvesters could one day reduce diesel dependence across Indian agriculture. Photograph: (Unsplash)
Unlike battery-powered vehicles, hydrogen-powered equipment can be refuelled relatively quickly and may be better suited for heavy-duty applications that require long operating hours.
For farmers, cleaner machinery could mean lower fuel dependence, reduced emissions and improved efficiency over time.
Can Green Hydrogen Become a Reality for Indian Farms?
The promise is significant, but the challenges remain.
Producing green hydrogen is still more expensive than conventional alternatives, and the infrastructure required for production, storage and transportation is still developing.
Large investments in renewable energy, electrolyser manufacturing and distribution networks will be necessary before the technology becomes widely accessible.
However, India’s growing renewable energy capacity and policy support for green hydrogen suggest that momentum is building.
For decades, Indian agriculture has relied on imported fuels, chemical inputs and increasingly expensive energy sources. Green hydrogen offers the possibility of changing that equation.
It could help produce cleaner fertilisers, reduce dependence on imported natural gas, create new income streams from crop residue and provide reliable energy for rural communities.
Most importantly, it has the potential to place farmers at the centre of India’s clean energy transition — not just as consumers of energy, but as producers of it.
