At the end of 2008, the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) commissioned the Low Carbon Innovation Centre to produce a report investigating the potential of biochar as a soil improver and aid to regional agriculture.
The report suggests that biochar application to soils in the East of England could have a very significant impact on crop yields by improving the retention of key soil nutrients and enhancing soil moisture holding capacity across the eastern region. The report also highlights that biochar could potentially play a major role in tackling climate change via the long term removal of carbon from the atmosphere and by reducing the emissions of other greenhouse gases from soils. Further potential benefits resulting from the future development of a biochar industry would be job creation and increased economic activity across the region. The report, entitled Biochar and Carbon Sequestration: A Regional Perspective, was written by technical staff at LCIC in partnership with Cranfield University's National Soil Resources Institute and the consultancy firm Collison and Associates Ltd. May 2009, LCIC hosted an event for key stakeholders to disseminate the findings of the report and discuss the development of a regional strategy for the creation of a biochar industry. You can download both the report and the presentation slides from the dissemination event here.
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