Biochar demonstration project in Cambodia
- Cambodia
ENTRY DATE: 09.03.2012 | LAST UPDATE: 09.03.2012
SCALE:
- Sub-national Level
TARGET AREA:
- Rural
BEST PRACTICE IN:
- Project Implementation
- Research and Development
KEY SECTOR:
- Forest Ecosystems
FUNDING AMOUNT:
Description of Intervention
• Add biochar during the normal planting regime of rice and a chosen horticultural crop with differing application rates of biochar and with combinations of different fertilizers or green waste added; and
• Investigate the soil condition and the yields of the crops after harvest.
Problems to be Addressed
A substantial segment of the population live on below $2/day (68.2%), impacting their long-term livelihood security.
Aims
• Provide agricultural benefits for the rural poor in Cambodiap; and
• Investigate the potential for farmers in Cambodia to receive carbon credits through the UN Clean Development Mechanism or voluntary carbon markets, as an additional income stream for poor communities.
Objectives
Investigate:
• Potential sources of biochar;
• Feedstock availability in the partner countries;
• Factors that make biochar cost-effective;
• Financial models which will allow the extension of biochar deployment within the Asia-Pacific region;
• Competition for feedstock and their most efficient use at both the local and regional levels;
• Examine the impacts of biochar on the soil by measuring crop yields, as well as changes to the chemical and physical properties of the soil before and after biochar addition; and
• Analyze the permanency.
How it fits into the EbA concept
Biochar has shown to render soils more fertile and allows higher rates of water retention, through increasing the uptake of nutrients from other fertilizers (particularly nitrogen) and enhances the presence beneficial soil microorganisms and fungi. The biochar-enriched soils are therefore better able to withstand the impacts of drought. The increased soil fertility also results in increasing yields for most crops (particularly in leached tropical soils), at least in the short term.
Relevant Publications
http://www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org/develop_agriculture.html
http://www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org/biochar.doc