Biochar as an agrifood innovation: evidence and lessons for integration into agricultural landscapes
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International Water Management Institute
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This report examines biochar as an agrifood innovation within circular bioeconomy and multifunctional landscape frameworks, with a focus on its relevance for smallholder agriculture in the Global South. Produced from organic residues through thermochemical processes, biochar offers a pathway to restore degraded soils, valorize waste, and support climate mitigation and adaptation. Evidence shows that biochar can improve soil structure, nutrient retention, and water-holding capacity, enhancing crop resilience in sandy and drought-prone environments while reducing reliance on synthetic inputs. However, its effectiveness is highly context-dependent. Outcomes vary with feedstock quality, production technology, soil conditions, and application practices. Risks include inconsistent agronomic performance, potential contamination, feedstock competition, and uncertain climate benefits when full life-cycle impacts are overlooked. Slow pyrolysis is the most suitable option for low-cost, rural settings, while advanced technologies remain less accessible. Biochar is therefore neither a silver bullet nor a flawed concept, but a promising tool whose benefits depend on careful design, regulation, and integration into locally appropriate, inclusive systems.
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resource recovery, resource management, reuse, waste management, biochar, agrifood systems, innovation systems, agricultural landscape, agricultural soils, soil quality, soil fertility, organic wastes, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, climate resilience, soil water retention, nutrient availability, biomass, carbon sequestration, soil organic carbon, feedstocks, business models, smallholders, farmers, small-scale farming, circular economy, bioeconomy, technology, pyrolysis, risk, regulations, Global South