The Biochar for soil enhancement and income generation for Smallholder Farmers in Cameroon is geared towards training and promoting the use of biochar as an innovation in the farming practices of small holder maize farmers in the South West and Littoral regions of Cameroon in a bid to improve their agricultural productivity while maintaining environmental serenity. Goals: -Train 1.000 maize farmers to produce at least 1.000 tons of biochar, yearly from 2025. This includes setting up extensive feedstock preparation and biochar production/application training and information materials. A farmer participation ledger will be regularly updated for supervisors to keep track of their respective networks and additional trainings -Get the project approved within the Carbon Standards International framework by the end of 2024. This process has already been initiated with a detailed project design plan, internal monitoring system, stakeholder engagement letters, and partnerships for usage of the Digital Monitoring Reporting and Verification (dMRV) app to register each biochar production batch. -Engage female farmers by spreading results so more SHFs can benefit. This includes gathering agronomic data from the first year of biochar use from participating farmers. Gathered information including soil analyses, yield changes, and farmer feedback will be shared in future education sessions within farmer group meetings. Whom: This project focuses on the 1.000 smallholder maize farmers (SMFs) that are part of the RUDEC network in South West and Littoral regions of Cameroon. Since RUDEC is especially focused on women empowerment, the majority of the farmers will be women. Thanks to RUDEC’s previous work, they have utmost trust from the community and hold high participation rates for new initiatives. A Dutch based partner will join RUDEC as experts in responsible biochar production and data collection as well provide immediate payments to the farmers upon successful production and verification of biochar produced. What: RUDEC will train 1.000 farmers to turn their waste into value added biochar. Participating farmers will allocate 50% of their residues towards processing. After preparation via sun drying, the feedstock will be pyrolyzed using both soil pit Kon-Tiki systems and community centered pyrolysis machines depending on feedstock proximity. During production, a trained RUDEC manager will be present to document the process using a dMRV software which enables biochar production volumes to be logged. Post production, biochar will be redistributed to participating farmers who will mix the biochar with water and existing composting piles established from previous RUDEC projects. The biochar will then be applied to the soil to permanently store the carbon and improve crop yields in the subsequent growing season. Benefits: Soil Improvement, higher yields, fewer chemical fertilizers, Additional revenue for the farmers from the sales of CO2 credits, Atmospheric CO2 removal and storage How: There are two main work streams in the project: Education and Training: this work stream includes hosting information sessions on the benefits of using biochar, appropriate feedstock preparation, and optimal biochar production and use strategies within already established weekly farmer group meetings. Onsite training of farmers and managers demonstrating correct kiln operation procedures, and onsite training of managers for using the dMRV will be conducted. Biochar production and Certification: The biochar production will start after group training and basic data gathering on participating farmers. RUDEC supervisors will conduct the dMRV for a max of 20 farmers during production. Farmers will be responsible for constructing soil pit on their farms and coordinating with managers when they will conduct burns. Several pyrolysis cycles may be supervised per day depending on the proximity between farmers. With the dMRV system, total production volumes of all farmers will be visible to the RUDEC manager team. This project is currently under review by Carbon Standards International (CSI) for certification. It’s expected that the project will be audited by a third party affiliated group endorsed by CSI in December 2024. In January 2025, Carbon sink potential will be officially registered through the dMRV application, and credits can then be sold and retired in a public ledger. Regardless of credit sales, farmers will be compensated for their biochar production directly after production and soil application. When: The project will use the “train the trainer” principle. In the first phase (January - march 2025) 20 trained supervisors will train 50 farmers before the following harvest period in July 2025. RUDEC management will conduct the initial training rounds in November 2024 to ensure the training expansion goes smoothly by receiving bi-weekly updates with feedback and recommendations from those involved.

Cameroon became the first country in the world to integrate biochar in her climate and development strategy in 2021. However the biochar resource has always remained untapped in the drive to improve agricultural production and environmental protection in Cameroon, largely due to unawareness of its potentials among farmers. Maize is a vital staple food and feed crop in Cameroon, with production estimated at over 1.5 million metric tons annually according to FAO statistics. However, Cameroon today still imports huge quantities of maize to meet local demands because the maize value chain in the country faces several challenges that limit productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness. Maize yields in Cameroon average around at just 2 tons/ha, well below the potential yields of 4-6 tons under better agronomic practices. A further estimated 20-30% of maize harvest in Cameroon is lost during postharvest handling. Meanwhile, local production is dropping while maize import is increasing steadily over the years because farmers are unable to generate enough income from maize farming. Additionally, maize byproducts including the husks, stalks, and cobs are underutilized, being left to decompose or simply burned in open environments to reduce waste volumes. Non-application of biochar in maize farming often leads to the depletion of soil nutrients and organic matter, resulting in declining soil fertility over time. The decomposition of maize biomass and the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in maize farming result in higher greenhouse gas emissions, particularly of nitrous oxide, thereby contributing to climate change. The innovations in biochar production and dMRV technology contribute to more sustainable and efficient agricultural systems especially for that of maize as biochar production transforms agricultural waste into a valuable resource that can enhance soil fertility and sequester carbon, while the dMRV system provides a comprehensive and transparent approach to monitoring, reporting, and verifying the impacts of climate-smart interventions in the agricultural sector.

A) Primary income source for farmers: - Carbon Credit Sales: When biochar is buried in the soil, it can generate carbon credits that can be sold on voluntary or compliance carbon markets. RUDEC has signed agreements with European based companies that will guarantee each of the farmers participating in this project get immediate financial rewards between 20,000 FCFA-40,000 FCFA per ton of biochar produced, buried in the soil, digitally Monitored Reported and Verified. This income will come from the sales of carbon credits generated by the project to these companies to offset their CO2 emissions and as part of their environmental sustainability strategy. B) Secondary income source for farmers: -Sales of Biochar: Biochar itself is a soil amendment. Farmers trained will have the option to sell their biochar directly to other farmers, gardeners, or landscapers who use it to improve soil fertility and plant growth. The market price for biochar can vary depending on the quality, production method, and the specific needs of the buyers, but it typically ranges from 100,000 FCFA to 600,000 FCFA per ton. -Avoided Waste Disposal Costs: By converting agricultural waste into biochar, farmers can avoid the costs associated with traditional waste disposal methods, such as burning or landfilling. The savings from avoided waste disposal can contribute to the overall profitability of the biochar production process. -Bioenergy Co-products: This project shall produce biochar through pyrolysis, a thermal decomposition process that can also generate bioenergy in the form of syngas or bio-oil. The sale of these bioenergy co-products will provide an additional revenue stream for the biochar production operation and the farmers. -Improved Crop Yields and Reduced Inputs: The use of biochar as a soil amendment can lead to improved crop yields and reduced the need for synthetic fertilizers and other agricultural inputs. The increased productivity and reduced input costs can translate into higher net incomes for the farmers who incorporate biochar into their farming practices.

This project presents 2 innovations to agricultural production systems; A) Biochar Production from Agricultural Waste as an Innovation: -Waste Utilization: Biochar production takes agricultural waste, such as maize waste, that would otherwise be burned or left to decompose, and converts it into a valuable product. This transforms the waste from an environmental burden into a resource, promoting a more circular and sustainable agricultural system. -Carbon Sequestration: When biochar is incorporated into the soil, it can sequester carbon for long periods, reducing the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide and mitigating climate change. -Soil Fertility Enhancement: Biochar has been shown to improve soil properties, such as water-holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, and nutrient availability, leading to enhanced plant growth and crop yields. This can help increase agricultural productivity while reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers, contributing to more sustainable farming practices. -Waste-to-Energy Potential: Biochar can be produced through pyrolysis, a thermal decomposition process that can also generate bioenergy in the form of syngas or bio-oil, creating additional value from agricultural waste. This integrated approach of waste-to-energy and biochar production enhances the overall efficiency and sustainability of the process. B) Digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) Technology as an Innovation: -Distributed Monitoring: dMRV utilizes a network of distributed, low-cost sensors and monitoring devices to collect real-time data on various environmental parameters, such as greenhouse gas emissions, soil moisture, and weather conditions. This distributed approach provides a more comprehensive and granular understanding of local conditions, compared to traditional centralized monitoring systems. -Automated Reporting: The dMRV system automatically collects, aggregates, and reports the data from the distributed sensors, reducing the burden of manual data collection and processing. This automation makes the reporting process more efficient, frequent, and reliable, providing timely information to stakeholders. -Transparent Verification: dMRV leverages block chain technology to create a secure and transparent system for verifying the collected data and the resulting impact claims. The decentralized nature of the block chain ensures the integrity of the data and the traceability of the reported impacts, building trust and credibility in the monitoring and verification process. -Scalability and Adaptability: The dMRV approach is designed to be scalable, allowing it to be deployed across various geographic scales, from small villages to nationwide reach.