How Could Biochar Lead To Better Soils For Mexican Farmers?
How Could Biochar Lead To Better Soils For Mexican Farmers? Forbes
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Brazilian Researcher Tests Biochar’s Potential in Mexican Farms
A Brazilian researcher is collaborating with Mexican farmers to assess the effectiveness of biochar in improving water retention and fertility in soils, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
What is Biochar?
Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced from organic materials, such as wood chips, in an oxygen-poor environment. Instead of releasing carbon into the atmosphere through burning, these materials are transformed into a porous, solid substance with potential agricultural benefits.
Field Experiment in Guanajuato, Mexico
Sara de Jesús Duarte, Research and Development Leader for The Next 150 and a PhD holder in Soil and Plant Nutrition, has been conducting an on-field experiment since March 2023 on two farms in Guanajuato, Mexico. The aim of the experiment is to demonstrate how biochar can enhance water retention and soil fertility while reducing agricultural production costs.
Duarte emphasizes the importance of this project, as it has the potential to generate significant impact by increasing awareness and understanding of biochar among the local farming community. This, in turn, can lead to the adoption of more sustainable farming practices. Approximately 23,000 farmers in the state of Guanajuato will directly benefit from this project, which can serve as a model for the large-scale use of biochar enriched and non-enriched with microorganisms in Vertisols.
Potential Benefits of Biochar
Duarte highlights the growing consensus in the scientific community regarding the potential benefits of biochar on agriculture and carbon emissions. However, she notes that these benefits can vary depending on factors such as the type of biochar, specific pyrolysis conditions, soil type, and climate. The ongoing trials in Guanajuato aim to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of biochar under different conditions.
According to Duarte, biochar has significant potential to reduce the need for agricultural irrigation, improve soil quality, and serve as a tool for carbon sequestration. Enhanced soil quality is crucial for robust and productive agricultural development, aligning with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
Farming Origins
Duarte’s upbringing in the rural city of Presidente Tancredo Neves, Brazil, influenced her passion for improving conditions for farmers. Her family’s farming background and firsthand experiences observing the challenges faced by farmers motivated her to pursue applied knowledge in agricultural sciences.
Throughout her academic journey, Duarte has been actively involved in research related to soil physics and the impact of agricultural management practices on soil properties. She obtained her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of São Paulo, specializing in soil and plant nutrition. Her current research focuses on studying the effects of biochar on soil properties.
Duarte emphasizes the importance of scientists from the Global South leading research on global challenges. Their unique perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential in finding contextually relevant and equitable solutions. Local scientists are particularly well-positioned to address adaptation and resilience in the face of natural disasters and extreme weather events, which are often more prevalent in the Global South.
Biochar in Bolivia
José Fernando Grajeda Cruz, Head of R&D at Exomad Green, is another researcher from the Global South working on biochar. Grajeda and his team in Bolivia are transforming forestry waste into biochar, providing a carbon-dense product that benefits indigenous farmers.
Grajeda highlights the multiple benefits of biochar for Bolivia, including improved crop yields and reduced deforestation. By enhancing agricultural productivity, biochar can help mitigate the need for clearing more forests to compensate for soil degradation, aligning with SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
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SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
- Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture
- Indicator 2.4.2: Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status
-
SDG 13: Climate Action
- Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
- Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
- Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
-
SDG 15: Life on Land
- Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
- Indicator 15.3.1: Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area
- Indicator 15.3.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture Indicator 2.4.2: Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries | Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world | Indicator 15.3.1: Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area Indicator 15.3.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type |
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Source: forbes.com
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