Biochar & pineapple industry

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/costa-rica-paves-the-way-for-climate-smart-agriculture

FAO Global Soil Partnership Newsletter

Lots of interesting stuff here that overlaps with biochar community interest...

	GSP Newsletter    July 2017, Issue #12
	See the ON LINE VERSION

Global Soil Partnership Newsletter

Symphony of the Soil

"The 68th UN General Assembly declared 2015 the International Year of Soils. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has been nominated to implement the International Year of the Soils (IYS) 2015, within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership and in collaboration with Governments and the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

To help celebrate the International Year of the Soils, we will be streaming the full feature film, Symphony of the Soil, for FREE for the week of December 5 – 12, 2014. You can help us spread the word by linking to or embedding the film on your site with a link to the Symphony of the Soil website and to the International Year of the Soils."
 

Biochar project proposals

One of the original requirements of the Yunnan Biochar study for FAO was the preparation of at least two biochar project proposals. As the study progressed, it became apparent that a broader approach was needed to represent the many, varied project opportunities that were ready for funding or under development. A total of nine project proposals have been submitted to FAO as part of the study...

1. Biochar Soil Trials in Cambodia - Testing an Optimization Tool for the Integration of Biochar into the Farming Energy System (UKBRC) 
2. Field Demonstration of Fast Pyrolysis Biochars (Black is Green Pty Ltd)
3. Solid biofuel for cooking purposes and biochar production in low-income households (UniKL MICET)
4. Cookstove Implementation in China and Cambodia - Who would Use Gasification Cook Stoves?: A Trial Deployment in China and Cambodia
5. Biochar and Rural Development in Thailand - Biochar as a Soil Amendment in Sustainable Rural Development in Thai Environments and Sub-cultures: Increased Crop Production for Smallholders through the Low Tech Production and Use of Biochar from Thinly Distributed Feedstock (Thai Biochar Initiative & UBI)
6. Producing Biochar to Reduce GHG Emissions from Hydropower Projects and Improve Village Livelihood: Lao PDR Case Study (Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand)
7. Phosphorus and Biochar Research in Malaysia - Biochar in Tropical Soils: Elucidating the Effects of Amendment Types on Fertilizer Phosphorus Dynamics, Soil Carbon Emission and Sequestration around the Kinabantangan River Area of Sabah, Malaysia (School of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia)
8. Industrial Demonstration of Biochar in Yunnan: Industrialization and Agricultural Application of Biochar from Crop Residues and Animal Manures in Yunnan Province
9. Biochar from Natural and Planted Forest Residues in Yunnan: Proposal for Demonstration Project to Make Biochar from the Residues of Forest Products Processing.

It may take some time for FAO to digest all of these proposals and it may not be realistic to expect immediate funding. The project proposals are open to collaboration and support from other parties. To this end, please contact me if you are interested in receiving more information on any of the above project proposals. I will liaise with FAO regarding any participation on their part.

Assessing Opportunities for Biochar in Yunnan, China and the Greater Mekong Sub-region

I have submitted the following announcement to IBI for their June newsletter:

Biochar Systems Ltd (BSL) and SaafConsult have commenced a biochar related study for FAO-RAP in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS) under the GMS Economic Cooperation Program. The objective of this study is to examine opportunities to use biochar for the benefit of rural communities with a focus on Yunnan Province, China. Yunnan is one of two southern China provinces in the GSM. A Yunnan based study participant organisation is still to be finalised.

Planned outputs from the study include a report, project proposals and a GSM workshop. The study group will be seeking biochar community support related to the preparation of proposals for follow-up projects that will be presented as part of the study. A further announcement will be made on this very soon.
Trevor Richards, BSL (febiochar@gmail.com)
Bryan Hugill, SaafConsult BV (bhugill@saafconsult.com)