Biochar Comes into Its Own: Recognized for Benefits to Crop Yields and Carbon Capture
Presented By: Evelind Schecter - Co-Founder of Warm Heart/Biochar Life
Event: 2023 ECHO Asia Agriculture & Community Development Conference -- "From Surviving to Thriving" (2023-10-20)
Biochar has been around for a long time, initially identified as “terra preta”, the black soils of the Amazon basin, made from wood charcoal, organic matter, and the growth of microorganisms in the soil. It was identified again in the 1950s but has been slow to be recognized for its benefits in restoring soil and many other uses. Today it is being recognized for its low-cost, long-term benefits to farming as well as the reduction in open field burning that results in harmful PM2.5 particles and other Greenhouse gases (GHG).
As we look at the sources of GHGs produced by agriculture, teaching the millions of smallholder farmers to make biochar from their crop waste, rather than burning it or letting it decompose, is an important way to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and cool the planet.
This session will provide an overview of biochar and its benefits for improved soils and crop yields for smallholder farmers. By simplifying the technology to make biochar, we can make the training accessible to farmers around the world. As corporations and individuals seek to reduce and offset their carbon footprints the carbon offset market is moving from emissions reduction to carbon removal. “Making biochar removes three tons CO2 from the atmosphere for every ton of biochar produced; when the biochar is added to fields as a soil amendment, that carbon is permanently sequestered.”