Solidaridad/Planboo
Climate Transformation Fund • Zambia
Empowering smallholder farmers in Zambia
Solidaridad and Planboo are teaming up to transform agricultural practices and combat climate change by utilizing biochar in a decentralized way. By collaborating, Solidaridad’s extensive experience in sustainable agriculture and Planboo’s innovative digital MRV system which includes an internet-connected (IoT) device, verification at scale can be achieved. Their partnership hopes to empower over 100,000 smallholder farmers in Zambia converting cotton stalks into biochar, increasing their incomes, improving soil health and permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere.
This project was chosen due to its potential to significantly impact carbon removal and transform agricultural practices in a truly decentralized way that enables individual farmers to create biochar and generate income. Solidaridad's established presence and trust within the agricultural community, combined with Planboo's cutting-edge internet of things technology for carbon measurement and verification, presents a powerful combination. The initiative’s focus on biochar uses residual cotton stalks, a typically discarded resource, to enhance soil and manage water resources, crucial for sustainable agriculture in Southern Africa.
Robert Höglund
Head of Climate Strategy & CDR
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
CDR is one of the most crucial solutions to reach and maintain net-zero emissions and limit global warming. To counterbalance fossil emissions from the long carbon cycle, the carbon removed needs to be stored durably. While solutions for durably removing carbon are still nascent, pre-purchasing carbon removal from startups can help kickstart the sector, making it an affordable and climate-relevant solution in the future. When credits or certificates are bought, they will be retired, meaning they cannot be resold and will not be counted as financial instruments.
Biochar
Biochar is created by heating biomass, such as crop residues, in an oxygen-free environment and high temperature, known as pyrolysis, to produce a stable form of carbon. When applied to soil, biochar locks away CO₂ while improving soil properties, such as water retention and fertility.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
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