In an era where soil degradation threatens food security and environmental stability worldwide, the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) is at the forefront of promoting biochar as a circular solution. The 2023 Global Biochar Market Report, co-authored with the US Biochar Initiative (USBI), presents an in-depth analysis of the biochar industry’s growth and its crucial role in improving soil health on a global scale.

Worldwide, agriculture employs the largest portion of youth (around 60% in Africa, for example), making soil health central to youth empowerment and food security in developing countries where agriculture's contribution to GDP exceeds 20%. Youth can participate in advocacy for soil and land health through political fora, techno-communications, community action, research and more.

Roël D. Houdanon, Founder & Chief Technical Advisor of the Land and Health Association, shares his thoughts on avenues for youth participation and his unique story of moving through advocacy spaces and championing soil health, as well as a case study for youth action on the ground.

By: Wendy Lu Maxwell-Barton, International Biochar Initiative

Since September of 2023, the world has known that the global community is not meeting the goals set in the Paris Accord— and the window to meet them without exceeding 2 degrees C or warmer is rapidly closing. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Global Stocktake process emphasized both the need for emissions reductions, as well as carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to slow and eventually reverse climate change-caused global warming.

While CDR technologies come in many forms and scales, the technology funded at a very high rate to date is direct air capture, garnering some US$4B in funding, tax breaks, and other sources of government funding. Despite this, there is less well-known yet predominant CDR technology that simultaneously delivers improved soil health, strengthened food security, and increased farmer profits through increased crop yields and lowered input costs on top of carbon dioxide removal. What am I referring to? Biochar carbon removal.