Biochar: Socio-economic and biophysical “fit”
- Key Staff:
- Dr. Saran P. Sohi
- Timescale:
- Jan 2012 - Jan 2014
- Funding:
- Dfid
- Partners in Research:
- University of East Anglia, Soil Research Institute (Ghana) and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering
This project addresses the current weak understanding of the socio-economic context of biochar in developing countries and in China.
Despite the claims of widespread relevance of biochar to livelihoods and food security, there is currently little understanding of the farming systems, economic and livelihoods related constraints that limit its usefulness in many areas.
This work builds on our knowledge of the biophysical characteristics of biochar, attempting to integrate this with a deeper understanding of the socio-economic context relevant for biochar deployment.
It takes a comparative approach, examining a number of contrasting environments to deliver a comprehensive assessment of where biochar-related applications have potential and where they do not.
Please download the project flyer for more details.
Publications:
Sohi, S.P. (2012) Carbon storage with benefits, Science, 338: 1034-1035
Jeffery, S., Bezemer, T.M., Cornellisen, G., Kuyper, T.W. Lehmann, J., Mommer, L., Sohi, S.P., Van De Voorde, T.F.J., Wardle, D.A., Van Groenigen, J.W. (2013) The way forward in biochar research: targeting trade-offs between the potential wins. GCB Bioenergy 7:1161–1175
Sohi SP, McDonagh J, Novak J, Wu W and Miu L. Biochar systems and system fit. 2015. In: J Lehmann, S Joseph (Eds) Biochar for Environmental Management, 2nd Edition. Routledge, Abingdon, UK, pp 737-761