Biochar Research Explores Climate and Production Benefits

Researchers at the University of Connecticut are exploring the potential to utilize forest byproducts to create biochar that could then be used in climate-smart agricultural practices. They’re evaluating biochar’s impact on food production, soil health, and environmental sustainability, and say it performs well. “Through the global data synthesis, you can see that across different soil and climate conditions, biochar, together with other practices, can help farmers to sustain food production. It can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce nitrogen leaching, and save soil water,” says Yawen Huang, the study’s lead author. Meanwhile, the Salisbury Independent reports that scientists at the University of Maryland, Florida A&M University, University of Florida, and the University of California-Davis received a $4.8 million in Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding to conduct trial studies on different types of biochar and its potential benefits as a supplementary fertilizer source. This project will focus on using poultry litter biochar to grow leafy greens in Maryland, while the other universities will test other forms of biomass as raw material for biochar and produce different types of produce, like legumes.
Related ATTRA Podcast: What is Biochar?