‘Digital Biochar’ to Revolutionize Biochar Adoption? Exploring the role of a digital application in scaling biochar for sustainable agriculture and carbon sequestration among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
(2024) In IIIEE Master Thesis IMEM02 20231The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
- Abstract
- Biochar, a black carbon created from agricultural waste or residues, is primary an agricultural tool to improve soil health via moisture and nutrient retention with the added benefit of sequestering carbon. As global actors search for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods, biochar is increasingly promoted especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where smallholder farmers are largely affected by climate change induced droughts and soil degradation. However, biochar adoption by SSA farmers is low: while research has indicated this is partially due to lack of knowledge and finance, a research gap on the barriers and drivers of scaling biochar in SSA remains. Similarly, while emerging carbon removal markets offer finance opportunities, there is... (More)
- Biochar, a black carbon created from agricultural waste or residues, is primary an agricultural tool to improve soil health via moisture and nutrient retention with the added benefit of sequestering carbon. As global actors search for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods, biochar is increasingly promoted especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where smallholder farmers are largely affected by climate change induced droughts and soil degradation. However, biochar adoption by SSA farmers is low: while research has indicated this is partially due to lack of knowledge and finance, a research gap on the barriers and drivers of scaling biochar in SSA remains. Similarly, while emerging carbon removal markets offer finance opportunities, there is miniscule research on the challenges and opportunities presented by such markets in the SSA context. A few biochar initiatives have created a digital application incorporating measuring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to connect farmers with knowledge and carbon market finance as a way to overcome such barriers: with no research on these nascent initiatives, this thesis explores how might a digital application improve biochar scaling in SSA?
Using a grounded case study approach, 15 biochar experts and practitioners were interviewed, “constant comparison” of data performed, and emergent cases cross analyzed, resulting in a substantive theory of a constructed representative case. Abundant data emerged for 1) biochar and 2) carbon market barriers and drivers under themes such as trust, information, systemic, finance, context, time, collaboration, and complexity: these results were used to answer the third research question, ultimately finding a digital application could address many of the biochar and carbon market barriers found yet could not overcome SSA context barriers. The results of this research shed insight on the reality of scaling biochar with a digital application in SSA and comparable lower and lower-middle income countries (LICs and LMICs). (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9171252
- author
- Kalkofen, Erika LU
- supervisor
-
- Håkan Rodhe LU
- organization
- course
- IMEM02 20231
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- biochar, MRV, digital application, carbon credits, smallholder agriculture, sub-Saharan Africa, Global Artisan C-Sink Standard
- publication/series
- IIIEE Master Thesis
- report number
- 2024:35
- ISSN
- 1401-9191
- language
- English
- id
- 9171252
- date added to LUP
- 2025-02-27 16:00:39
- date last changed
- 2025-02-27 16:00:39
@misc{9171252,
abstract = {{Biochar, a black carbon created from agricultural waste or residues, is primary an agricultural tool to improve soil health via moisture and nutrient retention with the added benefit of sequestering carbon. As global actors search for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods, biochar is increasingly promoted especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where smallholder farmers are largely affected by climate change induced droughts and soil degradation. However, biochar adoption by SSA farmers is low: while research has indicated this is partially due to lack of knowledge and finance, a research gap on the barriers and drivers of scaling biochar in SSA remains. Similarly, while emerging carbon removal markets offer finance opportunities, there is miniscule research on the challenges and opportunities presented by such markets in the SSA context. A few biochar initiatives have created a digital application incorporating measuring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to connect farmers with knowledge and carbon market finance as a way to overcome such barriers: with no research on these nascent initiatives, this thesis explores how might a digital application improve biochar scaling in SSA?
Using a grounded case study approach, 15 biochar experts and practitioners were interviewed, “constant comparison” of data performed, and emergent cases cross analyzed, resulting in a substantive theory of a constructed representative case. Abundant data emerged for 1) biochar and 2) carbon market barriers and drivers under themes such as trust, information, systemic, finance, context, time, collaboration, and complexity: these results were used to answer the third research question, ultimately finding a digital application could address many of the biochar and carbon market barriers found yet could not overcome SSA context barriers. The results of this research shed insight on the reality of scaling biochar with a digital application in SSA and comparable lower and lower-middle income countries (LICs and LMICs).}},
author = {{Kalkofen, Erika}},
issn = {{1401-9191}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{IIIEE Master Thesis}},
title = {{‘Digital Biochar’ to Revolutionize Biochar Adoption? Exploring the role of a digital application in scaling biochar for sustainable agriculture and carbon sequestration among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.}},
year = {{2024}},
}