Solar Power and Regenerative Agriculture in Burma

            When we are back in the US for our Summer break, we usually try to incorporate some learning experiences that fill out our knowledge of Appropriate Technology and sustainable living and this his year is no exception. My assistant, Thida Win, and I have just returned from a few days in Oregon, where we participated in an exciting hands-on Biochar project. This project was unusual in that it was an attempt to gauge whether Biochar production was a feasible way to deal with the slash, (branches and woody debris), that is left after a logging operation.

            The event was organized by UBET (Umpqua Biochar Education Team), with the cooperation of the Forest Service. The goal was to calculate how much labor and expenditure was required reduce the logging residue to safe levels as regards wildfire and to see if good quality Biochar could be produced at the same time.

            In previous reports I mentioned that Biochar is considered to be an excellent conditioner for soil, as it will persist in the ground for centuries, if not, thousands of years. Due to its porous nature, its function in the soil is to provide a home for many forms of beneficial bacteria and micro-organisms, as well as retaining moisture. Originally discovered, or rather, “re-discovered”, in the Amazon Basin, large fields of rich, fertile “Terra Preta”, (black soil in Portuguese), were found in the middle of vast areas of the typically leached soils of a tropical rainforest. Were these naturally occurring or had humans played a part in their creation? When shards of pottery were consistently found in the Biochar-rich soil, it was clear that humans had been involved. It is now supposed that early dwellers in the Amazon jungle were aware of the beneficial effects of Biochar and repeatedly burned the jungle trees to harness these benefits ion their own agriculture. Even today, enterprising Brazilians dig up the Terra Preta and sell it as soil amendment.

            Another side benefit of burying Biochar is that sequesters carbon in the soil for very long periods of time, thus helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. For example, a conventional way to deal with logging slash is to pile it in large heaps and burn it in open fires, which instantly release huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, and sterilizes and vitrifies the soil at the same time – all negative consequences. Using he special metal kilns, as shown in the photographs, the amount of released CO2 is greatly reduced, and if quenched (soaked with water), at the right time, a very valuable product, Biochar, is obtained.

            We are very excited about bringing our new knowledge of Biochar production to Burma, where people usually burn great amounts of woody biomass, prior to fire season, in order to reduce fuel loads. The air in April and May is very smoky and a valuable natural resource is literally “going up I n smoke”. The metal kilns foster what is called a “flame cap”, that consumes most of the particulate emissions as well as excludes oxygen from reaching the coals at the lower levels in the kiln. Still in its infancy, Biochar production at the small farm scale holds great promise for developing countries, especially in the tropics where soils are badly leached by monsoon rains. We at Solar Roots plan to expand our offerings of Biochar trainings in the remotest villages of Burma, where this ancient technology can get a new ,lease on life and play its part in slowing down catastrophic climate change.

            Trainings are inexpensive to put on, but they do have a minimum cost. Please help us move t`his work forward with a renewed donation. Every dollar creates a planet-saving chunk of Biochar!

            We wish you all the very best and thank you for your continuing support.

Bruce and Thida