The Biochar Opportunity: Enhancing Soil Fertility, Mitigating Climate Change, and Increasing Incomes for Women in Farming

Jamilatu Adamu, a farmer and the chairperson for the Suntaa Nuntaa B Savings and Loans Group in Ghana, often thought about the discarded agricultural waste from her groundnut and soybean farm. This waste – including groundnut leaves and soybean and maize stalks – is frequently left to rot on the farms of smallholder farmers in Ghana, contributing to rampant bushfires in the area. However, following her participation in a biochar production workshop in Wa, Jamilatu came home equipped with a new opportunity to turn this agricultural waste into a valuable resource.

Biochar production, introduced through the Great Rural Opportunities for Women 2 (GROW2) project, has offered a transformative solution to the challenge of agricultural waste management, empowering women like Jamilatu to enhance soil fertility and climate change resilience. Biochar also poses an opportunity to generate additional income by sequestering carbon and generating carbon credits.