By Evelind Schecter | Co-Founder and Program Leader
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.
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