Biochar holds the promise of richer solis and better crops in Africa.Credit: Patrick Sekoai and Olivier Habimana
Africa is faced with the escalating consequences of climate change, with worsened aridity and soil deterioration with diminished agricultural outputs and nutritional insecurity. However, a powerful yet underutilised solution resides in the continent’s organic waste streams.
Biochar, the carbon-rich substance, produced by thermally treating biomass in oxygen-limited environments, can restore damaged soils, capture atmospheric carbon dioxide, and improve agricultural productivity. As climate change intensifies, biochar offers a triple win by restoring degraded soils, locking away carbon, and converting organic waste into wealth.
South Africa’s emerging biochar initiatives serve as a blueprint for broader continent-wide adoption but scaling this innovation requires urgent policy support, comprehensive farmer education, and increased investment.
Research from South Africa illustrates biochar’s transformative potential in agricultural contexts. Trials in KwaZulu-Natal demonstrated that applying biochar could increase bean yields by 40%, chili peppers by 55%, and okra by 10%, according to the Agricultural Research Council.
The permeable composition of biochar aids the retention of water and essential nutrients, rendering it especially advantageous for regions susceptible to aridity. Additionally, biochar provides substantial hope for carbon sequestration; a single ton of biochar can seize between 0.5 and 3 tons of CO₂-equivalent, leading to the conversion of farmland into carbon-retaining zones.
South Africa’s invasive alien plants—which consume approximately 1 billion cubic meters of water annually—could be repurposed into biochar, thereby mitigating both greenhouse gas emissions and water loss1 remains largely untapped.
Despite the promise of biochar, several obstacles hinder its widespread adoption. Policy misalignment acts as a significant barrier; subsidies favouring synthetic fertilizers undermine biochar’s market viability. While South Africa’s Carbon Tax Act (ZAR 144 per ton of CO₂) marks progress, broader incentives are necessary to promote biochar use. Farmer awareness remains low, with fewer than 15% of South African farmers familiar with biochar’s benefits. But Tanzania’s approach, training 600 smallholders, illustrates how education can catalyse adoption.
South Africa’s biochar trials are part of a growing continental movement. In Kenya, the Biochar for Sustainable Soils project trains farmers to produce biochar from maize cobs, reducing fertilizer costs by 30% while boosting cocoa yields2. And in Nigeria, the emergence of startups like Biochar Africa is allowing the repurpose of rice husks into biochar briquettes, displacing fossil fuels in cooking stoves.
It is essential to incorporate biochar into national and regional climate policies by linking its production to carbon credit schemes and commitments made under national climate pledges (NDCs). South Africa’s Just Transition Framework offers a potential model for such integration. Investments should also focus on supporting small-scale biochar enterprises through grants and microloans, emphasising inclusion of women and youth. Additionally, continent-wide trials, particularly in regions facing similar challenges like the Sahel or East Africa—should be launched to demonstrate and refine best practices.
Raising awareness and advocacy are equally important, yet Africa’s leaders must find a way to adopt AU-wide biochar quality guidelines (such as mimicking the EU’s Biochar Certification Scheme) to build market confidence.
They also should consider shifting 10% of synthetic fertilizer subsidies to biochar starter kits for smallholders, as piloted in Tanzania. Furthermore, fast-tracking biochar’s inclusion in Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI) would enable farmers to monetise sequestration.
