No Poverty
Farmers are fairly compensated for producing biochar, earning additional income through carbon credit sales alongside their regular farming activities. By applying biochar to their fields, they reduce reliance on costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which are becoming increasingly expensive, while improving soil health and productivity.
Good Health and Well-Being
Biomass residues are often burned in fields, producing dense smoke clouds that harm farmers' health. Biochar production provides a safer alternative, reducing air pollution. Additionally, biochar traps heavy metals and toxins, keeping them out of crops and safely contained in the soil, promoting healthier food production.
Decent Work and Economic Growth
Biochar production increases farmers' yields and income, creating significant economic benefits for the region. Beyond farming, the initiative generates well-paying jobs and supports broader economic growth. In Odisha and Assam alone, over 4500 jobs were created in the last two years, providing better opportunities than traditional rice farming.
Zero Hunger
Farmers face challenges like degraded soils and prolonged droughts. Applying biochar to their fields helps restore soil fertility, boost crop yields, and improve resistance to pests and drought. This benefits both subsistence farming and commercial agriculture, addressing food insecurity and enhancing resilience.
Gender equality
Women play key roles across all levels of biochar projects, from production to management. By offering leadership opportunities and equitable pay, the projects empower women to contribute meaningfully to their communities and achieve greater financial independence, fostering gender equality in rural areas
Climate action
Biochar production locks carbon from biomass into a long-term, stable form in the soil, where it remains at least 1,000 years. This process not only acts as a carbon sink but also enhances soil health by supporting microbial activity and increasing organic carbon content, making it a powerful tool for climate action.
Life on Land
Biochar projects include planting diverse tree species along farm borders, breaking up the monoculture of rice and increasing biodiversity. Applying biochar to farming soils combats desertification, restores fertility to degraded lands, and boosts microbial life, supporting the recovery of ecosystems and improving land quality.
Responsible Production and Consumption
Farmers often burn crop residues like rice straw and corn stalks, wasting valuable biomass and harming the environment. Producing biochar transforms this waste into a sustainable soil enhancer, closing the resource loop and reducing greenhouse gas emissions while promoting more responsible consumption.
Life Below Water
Biochar’s porous structure traps nutrients, preventing them from leaching into water bodies and reducing the risk of eutrophication. This helps curb algal blooms and supports aquatic ecosystems. In Odisha, it also mitigates nutrient runoff that exacerbates the spread of the invasive Waterhyacinth, protecting local waterways.
Partnerships for the Goals
Carboneers collaborates with NGOs, local companies, and over 6000 farmers to produce biochar, sequester carbon, and address climate change. These partnerships are central to the initiative’s success, fostering innovation and building sustainable networks that strengthen communities and ecosystems