Increasing yields, improving soil score
Declining soil score, soil erosion, insufficient rainfall, overfertilisation. All over the world, the condition of arable soils is deteriorating. The humus layers are becoming thinner. And yet more and more people have to be fed.
Biochar is said to play a decisive role in improving soils in the long term.
Numerous studies show the positive effects of biochar.
Increasing the soil's carbon content
An essential criterion for soil health is the proportion of stored carbon in the soil. The use of biochar increases the carbon content in two ways:
- On the one hand, through the amount of carbon that is directly introduced into the soil by the biochar.
- On the other hand, as a consequence of soil improvement and better growth. The plants bind more carbon in the soil than they did before biochar was introduced.
The carbon content thus increases significantly above the directly introduced level.
Compensation for humus build-up
It is becoming increasingly important to have high-quality and sustainably intact soils. This notion is also playing an increasingly prominent role in the public perception.
Some companies and institutions already provide financial support to farmers who increase their humus content. Examples include the "Zukunft Erde" programme from Agravis and the humus build-up programmefrom Carbocert.