idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Soil degradation and low soil fertility in many African countries such as Ethiopia amplified by constant deforestation and overexploitation poses a major challenge to achieving food security. The problems are also exacerbated by climate change. Since 2021, the ‘ETH-Soil’ project, which is being implemented by the DBFZ and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has been pursuing the goal of sustainably improving the living conditions of smallholder farmers in rural regions with food shortages by introducing new technologies and processes.
Stakeholders from all areas of society have already been won over to the approach of using high-quality biochar-based fertilisers made from agricultural residues.
The DBFZ project “ETH-Soil - Soil improvement in Ethiopia through the energetic and material use of agricultural residues with a special focus on education and training” aims at securing the sustainable food supply of smallholder farmers in rural regions of Ethiopia (Oromia region). technologies and processes are to be developed with the aim of sustainably securing. In collaboration with partners from research, education, agricultural advisory services and the private sector, technologies and processes are developed and expertise is being built up to significantly improve the fertility of degraded farmland. Biochar produced by pyrolysis of nutrient-poor agricultural residues is combined with compost or digestates from biogas plants to create a biochar-based fertiliser (BBF). The incorporation of this carbon- and nutrient-rich mixture into acidic or degraded soils increases their water holding capacity and reduces nutrient leaching. At the same time, the microbial biomass stimulates soil fauna, enzyme activity and plant root growth. This leads to an increase in soil fertility and crop yields in smallholder households. Furthermore, carbon sequestration in the form of recalcitrant soil organic carbon contributes to mitigation of climate change.
After demonstration in small-scale field trials and the training of multipliers in previous years, a total of 244 smallholder households were recruited in 2024 to apply biochar-based fertilisers to degraded farmland. They were trained for this by the governmental agricultural extension service in the Oromia region. Implementation partners from the Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (IQQO) and the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Jimma provided 110 tonnes of quality-assured biochar in three pilot districts and supplied the poorest households directly with test quantities of BBF. All other farmers used their own worm compost, manure or fermentation residues to charge the biochar with nutrients. They are currently sharing their enthusiasm about the increase in growth and yield on a total of 16.6 ha with dozens of their neighbors acting as multipliers of the approach. This will spur mobilisation of farmers and village communities for independent biochar production to start in 2025.
The next level of sustainability is to be achieved in 2025 with the certification and commercialisation of the carbon sinks generated. Carbon sink certificates (carbon credits) will compensate the rural population for their efforts and incentivize the continuation and expansion of activities. The introduction of low-emission pyrolysis cookers will also enable the production of biochar with simultaneous heat utilisation at household level. Findings from the parallel soil research are incorporated into teaching at the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Jimma.
BACKGROUND
ETH-Soil is a project of the DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH with a duration of 2021-2026, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Together with the project partners from research, education and politics, the international project contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With ETH-Soil, the DBFZ is expanding its existing portfolio of projects and measures in Africa. This will enable technologies, expertise and experience to be incorporated into transformation processes for the benefit of the people of Ethiopia and Africa as a whole. Further information: www.eth-soil.com
Smart Bioenergy – innovations for a sustainable future
The DBFZ works as a central and independent thinker in the field of energy and material use of biomass on the question of how the limited available biomass resources can contribute to the existing and future energy system with sustainability and high efficiency. As part of the research the DBFZ identifies, develops, accompanies, evaluates and demonstrates the most promising fields of application for bioenergy and the especially positively outstanding examples together with partners from research, industry and public. With the scientific work of the DBFZ, the knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of energy and integrated material use of renewable raw materials in a biobased economy as a whole should be expanded and the outstanding position of the industrial location Germany in this sector permanently secured – www.dbfz.de/en.
Kerstin Wilde
Project management ETH-Soil
Phone: +49 (0)341 2434-514
E-Mail: kerstin.wilde@dbfz.de
Dr. Getachew Eshete Beyene
GIZ - InS Ethiopia, Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 924541020 (Mob.)
E-Mail: getachew.eshete@giz.de
https://www.dbfz.de/en/press-media-library/press/press-releases/transformative-r...
http://www.eth-soil.com
Biochar for soil improvement in Ethiopia
Picture: (c) DBFZ
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Biochar for soil improvement in Ethiopia
Picture: (c) DBFZ
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