14
Executive Summary
initial survey (described above), receiving 48 responses. Barriers identified included: • Lack of awareness of biochar and a need for education and demonstration projects to show farmers that making and using biochar would be worth their time; • Labor barriers, for example extra labor required to operate slash-and-char systems and gather dispersed feedstocks; • Restricted availability of biochar production technologies; • Environmental concerns related to changing resource use patterns. This survey also investigated the prevalence of biochar as a traditional farming practice and found that in many regions, some form of biochar application was a traditional practice that had been swept away by the advent of chemical fertilizers and other twentieth-century methods. Many felt that the existence of the traditional practice made their job of communicating the benefits of biochar much easier. Regarding the perceived benefits of biochar systems, respondents cited soil improvement, increased crop yields, decreased fertilizer use, improved water use efficiency, clean cookstoves, income benefits, and environmental hygiene. Respondents were split regarding the importance of carbon offset payments to project viability. Almost exactly half said that carbon payments would be nice but that they were not counting on them. The one remaining quarter said their project could not do without carbon payments and the other quarter replied they were not going to pursue them at all.
Potential Future Involvement of Development Institutions, Including the World Bank The summary above has demonstrated the wide-ranging potential of biochar systems to contribute to the new paradigm of green growth and development, allied to climate resilience. At the same time, biochar is a relatively new science and many uncertainties exist requiring further research and analysis. Life-cycle assessments are needed, which includes, not just technical and agricultural matters, but also the sociocultural aspects of biochar systems. Given the locationspecific nature of biochar systems, a challenge lies in conducting applied longterm research under real-world, developing-country conditions, particularly at scale of implementation. Institutions like the World Bank, particularly through its technical advisory and convening services, could help to forge effective alliances between the research community and development practitioners on the ground. The Global Inventory of Long-Term Soil-Ecosystem Experiments, established by the Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, is a good example of how such an applied scientific approach could work. As this body of experiences expands it will be possible to refine the criteria of desirable biochar interventions, Biochar Systems for Smallholders in Developing Countries • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-9525-7