tractor in a field

Aug 7, 2024

On-Farm Biochar Production: Why are smallholders looking to biochar?

In collaboration with farmers Wojtek and Marina Behnke at Aqualate Farms, we at Climate Spheres have been working on a project to examine the practicalities of producing and applying biochar on an English smallholding. Aqualate Farms has been looking to incorporate biochar into their farm practices and had already acquired a biochar kiln, but had not yet had an opportunity to put it to use. In this project, we explored the physical challenges farmers face in managing and processing available waste feedstock into biochar, charging the biochar with nutrient sources available on the farmyard, and applying the mix to the soil, all using readily-available farm equipment. Funding for this project came from a competitive process with the School of Sustainable Food & Farming and the Farmers Guardian to find new and developing innovations supporting the sustainable food systems.

In this first of 3 blogs, we outline the opportunity that biochar presents to farmers and what makes this work so necessary.

Why introduce biochar into UK farming practices?

Farmers are at the forefront of climate change. Their work is strongly exposed to the impacts of climate change and they are also well placed to benefit from business opportunities in the transition. There are a broad range of ways that farmers can get involved in climate change mitigation and adaptation, many of which require external financial support to unlock the benefits for both the farm and society. Other sectors, such as construction and finance, are looking to agriculture to provide ecosystem services and carbon sequestration to offset their emissions. This private investment offers an important new revenue stream for farmers wanting to diversify their income without losing their focus on food production. 

UK soils are under threat due to decades of overuse of artificial fertilisers and farmers need to develop new and improved practices to become more sustainable, profitable and climate-friendly. Artificial fertilisers are a primary cost in farming; prices can fluctuate significantly due to the natural gas requirements and international supply chains, jeopardising food security and profitability. 

Agricultural use of biochar as a soil improver has the potential to enable a range of inexpensive environmental targets while boosting yields and profitability. It can improve nutrient and water management while sequestering carbon and reducing artificial fertiliser use. Supporting farm uptake of biochar links with the new ELMS priorities on soil health and nutrient management, and UK Net Zero goals. Farmers need affordable and sustainable alternatives to artificial fertilisers, and will benefit from a choice of more agroecological approaches that do not compromise production or expose farmers to financial risk. 

Aqualate Farms

For this project Climate Spheres’ UK team partnered with Aqualate Farms, where the Behnkes run a mixed farm in Shropshire. They produce native breed cattle and sheep and arable crops with a strong focus on implementing holistic and regenerative farming principles. They had already acquired a biochar kiln that they were wanting to put to use for both soil improvement and with a particular interest in improving nutrient management to protect a local lake. However, they had not yet had an opportunity to fully explore the idea and put it into practice.

With the support of this grant, we were able to collaborate on research and training, exploration of challenges, implementing solutions, and to professionally test the resulting biochar to ensure that it was safe to be applied to the fields. This has enabled us to overcome some of the barriers to entry that farmers face and we will be sharing our findings in the 2 following blogs, on practical challenges and quality control. 

To learn more about Climate Spheres, our work on sustainable agriculture, and to explore working together on future projects, please get in touch through our Contact page.


Note:

The above blog was originally published on LinkedIn on [insert date] and in the Farmers Guardian. For more information on the School of Sustainable Food and Farming, please visit this Harper Adams University website.