Addressing Climate Injustice in Kenya with Biochar

In the heart of Kenya, amidst the challenges of waste management and agricultural sustainability, two MBA classmates found themselves united by a shared passion for climate action. 

Inés Serra Baucells and Carla Escobedo Jalife first crossed paths during their studies at IESE Business School. Little did they know that their collaboration would lead to the creation of a biochar company — BIOSORRA — dedicated to addressing agriculture, economic development, social equity, and justice in the Global South.

The spark for creating BIOSORRA occurred during a transformative class module in Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, where the pressing need for social inclusion and climate aid was clear. Alongside meticulous research, collaboration, and the help of local experts, the idea to produce high-quality biochar emerged. 

As a company, BIOSORRA specializes in producing affordable, durable, and sustainable biochar to address climate justice and ensure food safety. Their mission is to combat climate injustice in the Global South by restoring the soil. Recognized as the largest biochar facility in Africa with a fully owned and patented technology, their turning point came upon winning a $250,000 award from the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition funded by Elon Musk. It served as a launching pad for their success. 

The International Biochar Initiative is proud to have played a part in their story, welcoming BIOSORRA as participants in the inaugural Biochar Academy in 2023. “IBI was crucial for us to professionalize ourselves and acquire invaluable knowledge and a support network,” said Serra.

In fact, the co-founders credit partnerships, across the biochar community and beyond, as pivotal to their success. Relationships with Kenya’s Minister of Agriculture allows for active contribution to the development of favorable environmental policies. Moreover, BIOSORRA’s membership in the Circular Bionutrient Economy Network, Nairobi Climate Network and affiliation with McKinsey & Co provide platforms to actively participate in policy discussions, leveraging their unique position as the first large-scale biochar producer in the country.

The road to acquiring that position began with piloting a discovery phase in 2022 of serving 1,036 farmers across Ghana and Kenya, prior to designing, testing, and patenting their own hardtech pyrolysis unit. The development of their own machine was a critical component of their success: other commercial machines are not financially viable in Global South countries, whereas theirs is both cost-efficient and easily deployable. BIOSORRA can be an example for how to consider and involve and learn from the local community continuously across operations — from piloting, decision making, research and development, and implementation. 

With a mission to combat climate injustice, their biochar facility is prioritizing local employment, stimulating the economy, and delivering social benefits, achieving a circular economy. Look no further than their flagship location in Thika, Kenya, and its village-based approach. 

The biochar facility empowers traditionally underserved communities by creating employment opportunities, while families are afforded to reside in the same community, complementing their employment with a stipend from BIOSORRA. Families serve as farmers, within the plantation eco-village alongside the village’s dedicated school. Additionally, the company offers tailored advice to each of their clients on how to use the biochar product and how to promote sustainable agriculture practices.

As climate change impacts intensify alongside the urgency to draw down greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, BIOSORRA has a goal to remove at least one megaton of carbon dioxide by 2030 yearly with the deployment of more than 150 reactors. 

“We work every day to transform and position our Biochar Bora product, and the biochar industry, at the highest quality level, promoting and educating about its usage and benefits. We understand the urge to decarbonize the world and we want to be agents of change,” said Serra. 

As for BIOSORRA’s own internal goals, the company aims not only to grow organically but also to expand operations in the country and continent, launch new products, and develop in-house data analytics software.

In the tapestry of carbon dioxide removal solutions to climate change, BIOSORRA stands to make a big impact with biochar on the effects of climate injustice in the Global South.