We report an economically viable and environment-friendly strategy for the preparation of nanoporous carbon (NC) from jute which is one of the most abundant natural fibers produced in Bangladesh and some South Asian countries. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy, and scanning/transmission electron microscopy were performed to characterize the obtained NC. Three different types of jute-derived NCs have been synthesized at three different temperatures, 700 degrees C, 800 degrees C and 900 degrees C. The NC prepared at 800 degrees C resulted in a high surface area (981 m(2) g(-2)) and was associated with the retention of the original fibrous shapes. This study shows a promising future for jute as a natural precursor for NCs for a myriad of applications ranging from water purification to gas separation to energy conversion and storage.