Climate Action Thailand Project #39391

Stop the Smoke - Reduce Global Warming

by Warm Heart Worldwide, Inc

Project Report | Jul 4, 2024
Expanding the Biochar Network of Producers

By Evelind Schecter | Program Leader

Aom training new farmers

As we continue to seek sustainable solutions to reduce open-field burning in Thailand and across Asia, our efforts have recently centered around the promotion and production of biochar. As demand increases, there will be less open field burning and less smoke in the region, fewer chemicals in the food chain, and improved crop yields.

Biochar Academy in Chiang Mai
In collaboration with the International Biochar Initiative and ECHO Asia, Warm Heart co-sponsored a week-long Biochar Training Academy from May 5-11 at ECHO’s conference center in Chiang Mai. This event brought together participants from across Asia and Africa, aiming to extend our network and foster additional biochar production initiatives in Thailand. Some of the highlights:

Sharing of projects from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia: Bamboo waste into biochar in Thailand, Rice husks to fertilizer in Cambodia, Industrial designs for kilns in the Philippines,
We had a tour of the Chiang Mai University project to improve road safety with biochar. Planting vegetation with biochar in the steep hillsides of Phuket has stopped erosion with a nature-based solution. The increased use of biochar in asphalt has acceptance by the government and is being road-tested.
One local farmer is doing intensive production on a small plot of land with biochar mixed into his organic fertilizer. A simple app on his phone lets him minimize water usage for watering the crops.

Production and training in Phrao and Mae Chaem
In Phrao, our biochar production in 2023 from longan tree pruning successfully averted over five hundred tons of CO2, with the production of three hundred tons of biochar and we will do at least that much this year.

Aom has been working on efficiency and productivity improvements in the biochar production process. She has also been training new groups of farmers interested in making and using biochar in Phrao and Chiang Dao.

In Mae Chaem, farmers have been producing biochar and compost from corn waste. This keeps the huge mountains of corn water from rotting or being burned, both processes which produce greenhouse gases.

Encouraging Biochar in Nigeria
In June, Michael embarked on a training mission for the Afri-Decarbonization Company (ADC) in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Despite initial delays due to visa issues, Michael conducted three-day training courses for a diverse audience, including local officials, University of Calabar administrators, faculty, and students, as well as large groups of farmers and representatives from eight Local Government Areas.

During his mission, Michael met with key stakeholders, including the Secretary to the Governor of Cross River State (the Permanent Secretary) and the Acting and Serving Presidents of the University of Cross River. A significant outcome of this mission was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ADC and the University, which ensures comprehensive university support for the ADC program.

Thank You

Your unwavering support has been the backbone of our success. We are deeply grateful for your contributions and belief in our mission. Together, we are creating a healthier environment and empowering farmers with sustainable practices.

Best wishes for a productive and safe summer!

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Biochar Teams

CMU Biochar Project- Erosion control and asphalt

Intensive farming with simple tech

Biochar Academy Banner

Diverse group will spread the biochar story

Michael at Crossroads, Calabar, Nigeria

Links:

UNICROSS Partnership For Food Security, Improved Farmer QOL

Permalink

Mar 5, 2024
New Paths to Expand Biochar Adoption in Thailand

By Evelind Schecter | Project leader

Rice farmer adding biochar to paddy

It's the smokey season in Chaing Mai and the haze has arrived. The air quality is still bearable with the burning ban showing some impact.

At Warm Heart, we have permission to make small amounts of biochar for testing. Aom has been working on capturing data from local feedstocks to confirm that we align with some recent studies on the expected efficiency of production methods. This is part of a larger effort to find ways to expand biochar production in Thailand.

We have also been looking at low-tech solutions to produce higher volumes of biochar. Several organizations are looking at industrial-level units to encourage large-scale farms to pyrolyze their waste instead of burning it.

Our lead farmer has been working with orchard owners to make biochar once the annual tree pruning is done. This biochar is used on organic farms and in orchards for water retention. We would like to develop some higher efficiency designs but still be portable.

In Thailand, the government, universities, and a range of private organizations have reached out to us because they are interested in utilizing biochar for more than just agricultural purposes. For example, Chiang Mai University has a pilot project to test biochar in asphalt as a substitute for scarce raw materials.

The International Biochar initiative is co-sponsoring a Biochar Training Workshop May 5-11 with ECHO Asia and Warm Heart at the Echo training farm in Chiang Mai. This is bringing an audience from Thailand, Laos, and other SE Asian countries for an in-depth workshop so that they can go back to their communities to spread awareness of the benefits of making Biochar.

Thank you for your enduring support of our work!

Warm regards,

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Biochar Teams

Current biochar trough for branches

Chiang Mai University Testing Biochar in Asphalt

Biochar for water retention in orchard crops

Permalink

Nov 7, 2023
Stopping the smoke, being good neighbors

By Evelind Schecter | Co-Founder and Program Leader

Biochar being made from orchard pruning

Biochar continues to get more attention as a path to reducing the Greenhouse Gases (GHG) that are warming the climate. With your support, we continue to find ways to expand the awareness of biochar's benefits and engage smallholder farmers in improving their soils and livelihoods. We presented at the 2023 ECHO Asia Agriculture & Community Development Conference -- "From Surviving to Thriving" in Chiang Mai in October, with participants from all over the world.

In Thailand, we've made over 100 tons of biochar that farmers have used in their fields and around their orchard trees to improve the soil and hold water. The coffee farm and agroforestry programs are moving forward and we'll be able to see their impact over the next few years.

In Phrao, Warm Heart continues to make biochar briquettes for cooking and barbecues - the briquettes have all the greenhouse gasses burned off when the biochar is produced. They are long-lasting and produce very little smoke. We had started to gain some market traction before COVID shut down all the hotels. They are slowly opening up again and we have had a recurring order from one of the major resorts in Chiang Mai. They use the briquettes in their open barbecue pit and have avoided being shut down by their neighbors who complained about the smoke from the prior fires. Let us know if you know any other restaurants or hotels that could use these great briquettes!

In Africa, so far this year, we've completed training of 150 villages in Malawi; that's over 9,000 farmers. As farmers see their neighbors' crops thriving, they ask to be added to the training sessions. Training continues in Uganda through the Edwards Hamlet Agricultural Regeneration Center, partnering with local organizations to expand their network. In the DRC, the team has continued to visit farmers in remote villages to train them. This has continued despite rival insurgency battles in nearby villages that have put their lives at risk.

Thank you for your continuing support for this program that is providing food security and clearing the smoke!

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Warm Heart Biochar Teams in Thailand and East Africa

P.S. Please mark your calendars for #Giving Tuesday, November 28, and tell your friends; to help us add a few new donors. GlobalGiving has a matching bonus pool of over $ 1 million. All gifts up to $2500 are matched. The more we raise the more we earn of the bonus pool.

Biochar briquettes set out to dry

Presenting Benefits of Biochar at ECHO Conference

Training after the cyclone in Malawi

Farmer in the DRC with biochar

Biochar pilot garden in Uganda

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 6 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.