BIOCHAR PLUS PROJECT

The ACP Science and Technology Programme, with the financial support of the European Union, has co-financed a new biochar project which will be coordinated by the University of Udine (Italy).

The project is called “ENERGY, HEALTH, AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS FROM BIOCHAR USE: BUILDING CAPACITIES IN ACP COUNTRIES. Biochar Plus” involves eight partners from seven countries and three distinguished international institutions as associated partners: UNIDO (Austria), African Union (Ethiopia), and Cornell University (USA). ACP countries include African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States.

The main scope of the work includes:

1. To create a network between all the activities/actors (in industrial, research, and agricultural sectors) who worked in the past or are to date involved in biochar research, experiments, field trials, etc–in all the activities related to advancing charcoal/biochar technology within the African Continent.
2. To describe the state of the art in biochar technology through databases, photos, presentations, maps, and videos. Interested parties can contact the organizers (info.biocharplus@gmail.com) and submit materials that may contribute to this goal.
3. The organization of three international meetings for a bottom-up approach that will be held in the following African Regions (Western-Eastern-Southern Africa) and organization of a workshop for top-down actions which will include the three associated partners.

The Biochar Plus Team would know if there are other Institutions/Projects/Associations already operating in  Africa who are interested in organizing a summer school (dedicated to University students with International teachers) or a training course, a stakeholders meeting, and/or meetings with policy makers with the goal of strengthening biochar research and its production chain in Africa.

For more detailed information on this project, please download the project write up or see the website at: https://sites.google.com/site/biocharplusproject/home.