With the climate change debate raging on, there’s a lot of talk about carbon.

But is carbon all that bad?

Certainly not.

Life is formed of mostly carbon – that’s why the chemistry of carbon is called ‘organic’ chemistry.

So if carbon is good, why the fuss about it?

Well, it all stems from where the carbon is…

If it’s in the air, then it’s a problem.

But if it’s in the soil, then it’s a good thing and here’s why…

FARMING

Carbon is the single most abundant element in plant matter.

Small wonder we get CARBO-hydrates from them.

If that’s the case, where do crops get the carbon they use to grow?

From the soil.

Soil carbon comes in many shapes and sizes.

But among the many forms, humus is key.

Humus is carbon released from dead matter – plants, carcasses etc.

As dead plants and animals breakdown over time they release a form of carbon easily taken up by crops during cultivation.

This is the reason why rain forests are fertile zones.

They are such because of plant matter that has broken down and aged over time to deliver rich humus.

Humus has inspired farmers to come up with methods of accelerating breakdown of organic matter in the name of composting.

So when we apply compost – or manure – to our soils, we are not only supplying agricultural nutrients but also carbon.

The same carbon that is assimilated in trees allowing us to cut them down, burn and produce charcoal.

But stay with me for a minute here…

Usage of fossil fuels – such as charcoal – promotes global warming and climate change due to carbon dioxide release.

But what if we were to bury the same charcoal in the soil…would there be a difference?

BIOCHAR

We can safely say that biochar is the same as charcoal.

The only difference is that biochar is possibly produced from waste – such as agrowaste – while charcoal is produced from trees.

But some societies use both names to refer to the same thing.

But back to the ‘biochar’ story…

Biochar has been used for ages as a means to improve soils.

The Amerindians in Brazil’s Amazon forest used a ‘slash-and-burn’ tactic to bury tonnes of biochar in the soil.

The result – a rich soil that has sustained the world’s largest rainforest cover for ages.

If that’s the case, could biochar be used to not only improve on poor soils but also tackle climate change?

CLIMATE CHANGE

If we can ‘pluck‘ carbon from the air to bury it in the soil, could it make a difference?

Well, the use of biochar in farming seems to be riding on this point.

Instead of burning fossil fuels – like charcoal – why not bury it in the soil?

After all, are there proven benefits of burying charcoal in the soil?

Well first – as stated earlier – it’ll help inject carbon into the soil.

Any effort preventing release of carbon into the air is welcome and the use of charcoal – or biochar – in the soil is one.

But secondly, biochar in the soil creates a unique ecosystem for many microorganisms.

Because of its porous nature, biochar hosts millions of colonies of useful bacteria, fungi and viruses.

This aids crop development in a big way since some of these microbes help fight diseases and deliver nutrients to crops.

Thirdly, because of it’s high porosity, biochar has the ability to ‘suck up’ and ‘hold onto’ nutrients in the soil.

Minerals that spur crop growth could be stored and released slowly over time leading to good performance and reduction of pollution due to overfertilization.

But lastly, biochar is also useful in removing toxic stuff contaminating our soils.

Ever thought of farming on a piece contaminated with pesticides, toxic metals or  petrochemicals?

Well, biochar could help remedy the situation.

It ‘sucks up’ the pollutants leaving the soils slightly better than before.

IN CONCLUSION

The use of biochar is farming is no new strategy.

But banking on it’s added benefits will help confidence in those intending to use it for farming.

After all, several businesses have sprung up in this regard.

So it’s worth it.