A five-student research team from Madrasah Aliyah Negeri Insan Cendekia (MAN IC) Tapanuli Selatan has won second place at the national level in SOBAT BUMI Envirofest 2026, a competition organised by PT United Tractors Tbk, according to Waspada.id.
The team, known as Tim SOMI, earned the placing with a project titled "Tapsel Biochar Movement: Gerakan Desa Karbon Positif Mengembalikan Karbon ke Tanah. Stop Bakar! Mulai Subur." Waspada.id reports that the work was tested with residents of Situmba village in Sipirok district, Tapanuli Selatan, in September 2026.
The team members are Sahira Latifa, Muhammad Maulana Siregar, Atika Aufa Pracha, Nazwa Amelia Pospos and Rofiqoh Adzkia Dalimunthe. They were guided by teacher Mis Ariska Ainun Jamila Rambe, S.Si.
Abdul Hakim Siregar, the school's head, told Waspada.id on Sunday (18/10/2026) that he was proud of the students' achievement in the national competition. The project ran from June until the final announcement in October 2026.
Why it matters
The project addresses a practice that is still common in parts of the community: burning agricultural leftovers in the open. According to Waspada.id, the team's approach turns materials such as rice husks, straw and other plant residues into biochar instead of setting them alight.
Abdul Hakim described biochar as a carbon-rich material produced by heating biomass with a limited supply of oxygen. Unlike open burning, which sends smoke and various pollutants into the air, he said, biochar production takes place through a controlled process.
He told Waspada.id that, when made and applied correctly, biochar may help improve soil characteristics, raise the soil's capacity to hold water and lock away part of the carbon in a relatively stable form. The head of school also stressed that these benefits depend on the raw material used, the production method, the type of soil and how the biochar is applied. Testing and guidance are therefore needed so that the community genuinely gains from the innovation, he said.
From village trial to national stage
The idea behind the entry was to show that farm waste can be treated as a resource rather than rubbish. Waspada.id reports that the team encouraged residents to manage crop residues more sustainably while returning carbon to the soil, aiming to cut air pollution from burning and at the same time support soil fertility.
The message at the centre of the campaign is "Stop Bakar! Mulai Subur" — stop burning, start enriching. Through it, the team urged the public to reduce open burning and adopt waste handling that is gentler on the environment.
Abdul Hakim said the habit of burning agricultural waste, which some residents still follow, is an environmental challenge that needs to be tackled. In his view, the Tapsel Biochar Movement shows that local environmental problems can serve as the starting point for innovations aimed at sustainability.
He expressed thanks to the supervising teacher for her support, noting that her guidance has helped many MAN IC students reach achievements. He also said he hopes the second-place result will encourage other students to keep developing their creativity, strengthen a research culture at the school and produce innovations with real benefits for the community and the environment.
According to Waspada.id, the achievement is one way students at MAN IC Tapanuli Selatan are contributing research-based ideas that respond to local potential.
What to watch: whether the Tapsel Biochar Movement extends beyond the Situmba trial, and whether the school's research teams build on this result in future national competitions.
