back to main menu

Solidaridad and the International Biochar Initiative team up to cool a boiling planet

05 August 2026

Smallholder farmers across the Global South are on the front lines of a changing climate. Yet, at the very same time, one of the most powerful solutions to combat this crisis lies right beneath their feet. By transforming residual agricultural biomass into biochar instead of burning it, farmers can create a powerful, life-enhancing soil amendment.

To bring this transformative technology to smallholders at scale, Solidaridad and the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) have joined forces. This partnership bridges the gap between decades of on-the-ground farming experience and top-tier climate science

Trainers demonstrate biochar’s properties after production during an IBI Biochar AcademyTM 

Global science, local impact

With seven regional expertise centres worldwide, Solidaridad leverages its global network to meet local needs when regional alternatives are unavailable. Through the partnership with IBI, the latest biochar expertise can now directly reach smallholder communities, contributing to higher-impact project implementation. In turn, Solidaridad’s brings smallholder farmer insights back to the table, directly shaping more effective knowledge products and tools.

A Shared Vision for Safe, Credible, and Scalable Biochar Systems

While IBI works to elevate biochar from a scientific niche into a safe, credible, and mass-market climate change solution, Solidaridad brings deep community connections and decades of practical field expertise. Together, the two organizations are focusing their collaboration on the following to scale up biochar systems across the Global South:

  • Knowledge Exchange: Sharing expertise on efficient kiln technologies, sustainable feedstock use, and digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) to make biochar production practical for smallholders.
  • Joint project development: Actively launch new farmer-centric pilots in priority countries.
  • Research & Data Collaboration: Gathering concrete field evidence on how biochar improves soil health and crop yields, linking local farmer insights directly to scientific knowledge products.
  • Amplifying Smallholder Voices: Ensuring that the realities, needs, and successes of smallholder farmers are represented broadly within the global biochar community and international policy discussions.
During a Solidaridad training, smallholder farmers in Tanzania are learning how to produce biochar © Solidaridad

Science Meets Practice: Building Resilience for Smallholders

Solidaridad currently runs biochar programmes and partnerships across Uganda, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Kenya, Peru, Ghana, Zambia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, India, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Indonesia. With more than 50 training sessions conducted worldwide and more than 2,000 farmers trained, the organization brings a deep, practical understanding of what actually works on the ground.

Through this partnership, we are thrilled to gain access to the IBI educational trainings, collaborate on global advocacy for biochar, and channel our practical field insights back into this high-level network of experts. This collaboration ensures that global scientific standards serve local livelihoods, helping farmers increase yields, lower input costs, and build true climate resilience.”

Heske Verburg, Managing Director of Solidaridad Europe 

This is where IBI’s global reach comes in. To scale biochar to its full potential and meet global net-zero targets, the organization focuses heavily on open knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships. But they also act as a crucial advocate for the sector—making sure biochar remains recognized as an official negative-emissions technology in IPCC reports and championing the cause directly at international climate summits.

Our partnership with Solidaridad enables us to align our scientific concepts with the knowledge gained from projects involving thousands of farmers. Together, we can promote measures that benefit both farmers and the climate, thereby creating a resilient future for coming generations.”

Luisa Marín de Block, Executive Director of IBI

SHARE THIS ARTICLE