Getting Farmers to Produce and Use Biochar

Biochar in the Philippines: Forging a National Agenda Covering Rice Self-sufficiency, Food

Security, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

GOALS

• 1. Raise Awareness of Contributions of Biochar in the drive towards Rice Self Sufficiency and Food Security

• 2. Helping farmers adapt to excessive CO2 Pollution in the Atmosphere

Philippine Biochar Association

• SEC Registered in 2011

• To Establish 150 Town-level Biochar Networks that act as LOCAL PPPs AND promote the use of Biochar in farmlands

• Botolan, Zambales Biochar Network: LGU, SAMBALI, Botolan Irrigator Farmer Association

.

Philippine Biochar Association

• Founding Members, Advisory Council & Board Members:

• Tony de Castro, Dr. Bernie Tadeo, Peachy Cuenca-Forbes, Ching Camara, Susan Roxas, Beth de Castro, Michael Goon, Chay Pasco

• Executive Director: Chris Cenal

Incorporating biochar into agricultural land is a simple process and can easily be done by a farmer… In partnership with PBiA, for every 1.1 tons of biochar incorporated in agricultural land, the LOCAL BIOCHAR NETWORK issues a master certificate verifying this activity. PBiA validates this through actual soil testing.

Carbon Offset Sticker Program

P500 Answers for up to 1,000 kilos of Carbon Emissions AND provides livelihood and better food supply

Issues Negative Carbon Stickers against each Master Certificate, 12 stickers to one Master Certificate.

Biochar for Corporate Social Responsibility

IMMEDIATE REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS

NO MAINTENANCE NECESSARY

CONTINUES TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS THEREBY MEETING THE GLOBAL STANDARD

TERRA PRETA OR BLACK EARTH

BIOCHAR

• Biochar is charred biomass from agricultural wastes like rice hull, rice straw, bagasse, corn stovers produced by high heating of these materials with very limited oxygen similar to charcoal but where biochar is meant for soil amendments and charcoal is for cooking

HOW DO YOU MAKE BIOCHAR?

CARBONIZED RICE HULL OR BIOCHAR OR AGRICHAR

The internal structure of biochar

CO2 ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION

• 1. Ideal level of CO2: 280 to 350 ppm

• 2. Present level is: 12% above 350: 393 ppm

• 3. Disaster level is: 28% above high end. Can be

reached in as little as 20 years: 450 ppm

• 4. Pollutive CO2 for removal: 50 ppm

BIOCHAR POTENTIAL TO REMOVE CO2

- If all the agricultural residue were charred per year and plowed

into farm soils the annual removal potential is 3.5 ppm.

- For every 1 billion tons of net addition of CO2 to the atmosphere, the CO2 concentration increases by ½ or .5 ppm

- The reality is every year we add about 4 billion tons

that add about 2.4 ppm of CO2 to our atmosphere

CO2 Pollution and Rice Sufficiency

• 1. For every 1 degree centigrade increase in atmospheric

temp, rice yields decline by 10%

• 2. Since Pre-industrial level atmospheric

temperatures have risen by .8 degree centigrade

WILL GET HOTTER

• IPCC indicated that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a

• further 1.1 to 2.9 °C for their lowest emissions scenario and

• 2.4 to 6.4 °C for their highest.[

Materials that can be used to make biochar

Rice Hull or Ipa

Rice Straw or Dayami

CoconutHusk

Corn Cobs

Biochar Benefits to Farm Soils• boosts soil fertility

• prevents soil erosion

• improves soil quality by raising soil pH

• traps moisture, attracting more beneficial fungi and microbes

• improves cation (positive ion) exchange capacity

• helps the soil hold nutrients• improves water quality by retaining agrochemicals and

metals

• can increase yields from 10-50 percent depending on the initial soil quality

The humble Biochar has much to offer!HELPS FARMERS ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE

IMPROVES CAPACITY OF SOIL TO INCREASE YIELDS

REMOVES CO2 POLLUTION

Adding Biochar to Farm Lands

SAMBALI BEACH FARM:100% USE OF BIOCHAR, EM, COMPOST

12 TONS OF VEGGIES FROM 1.5 HECTARE FARM

In Summary:

BIOCHAR IS GOOD NEWS

AND THE PHILIPPINES SHOULD

HAVE A NATIONAL AGENDA

AROUND BIOCHAR

THANK YOU!