Biocharculture

Book excerpt: Biocharculture - Biochar for Environment and Development is the book based on the author's over a decade firsthand experience in research, development and use of biochar. Much of his overall insights and firsthand experiences have become available through this book. Biocharculture falls very much in a vision of an agriculture that supports and makes use of natural growing mechanism. Biochar is charcoal that is used for other purposes than heating. It can be a by-product or part of an entire production system. Biochar scores on many fronts: it improves the capacity of the soil to retain moisture but also nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. It helps regulate soil temperature and contribute to climate change mitigation. It improves soil life. I still remember that Sai Bhaskar explained a tiny piece of charcoal to me as being a ‘skyscraper for millions of soil biota’. There is still a world to gain – by better understanding this miraculous microbial world and the way our soils and landscapes work and this book hopes to contribute and give practical suggestions and directions. Interesting in some parts of the world biochar is part of the production process wherein other it is not. In other words, we need to create new traditions and farming cultures, as this book very much argues. One learns everything about biochar and its uses through this book.