Decisions on investment and policy require answers to key questions about the scalability, economic viability, and long-term effects of biochar use under realistic scenarios. Information on market size is key to drive advancements in delivery models, product formulation, regulatory frameworks, and fiscal incentives for effective and sustainable integration into the agri-food value chains. This ex-ante upscaled assessment aims to provide clarity on the potential scale and impact of biochar use in maize systems of Kenya by leveraging official data on land use, crop yields and fertilizer statistics, findings from research and case studies, all while accounting for varied need of residues, uncertainties and safety margins. A modelling procedure (Figure 1) with sequential operations starting from grain production data over standard conversion to residue quantities, deductions of competing pulls for livestock, resource recovery from pyrolytic processes, and dose-response yield gain was implemented that provides a comprehensive approach to evaluating agricultural efficiency and sustainability. As the benefit of soil health interventions is manifested over multiple years, these steps were looped, and legacy effects carried forth. Input data and conversion factors were furnished or reviewed by selected informants that are experts or practitioners in the field, ensuring robust and representative outcome. This framework and methods can be replicated across other geographic scales and regions. Besides the biophysical potential, the financial viability of biochar use was evaluated against prices of production, grain and fertilizer. The main factors used for conversion and response calculation are summarized in Annex #1. Results presented in this brief can help stakeholders anticipate the likely-hood outcomes and make informed decisions about the adoption and implementation.

Nous remercions l’ensemble des cadres, des chercheurs et des techniciens de terrain qui ont contribué à l’élaboration de ce document. Leur dévouement, leur expertise et leur engagement ont été essentiels pour enrichir nos connaissances et documenter les bonnes pratiques de gestion durable des sols. Les photos réelles de terrain et les données succinctes sur les coûts-bénéfices qu’ils ont partagées ont apporté une dimension concrète et pragmatique à cette compilation.

Ce document constitue une ressource précieuse pour tous ceux qui sont engagés dans la préservation et la valorisation des terres en Tunisie. Sa mise à disposition vise à encourager l’adoption de pratiques durables, contribuant ainsi à un avenir plus prometteur pour notre environnement et nos communautés.

In India, ProSoil is implemented in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The SLM practices from India in this compilation represent a broad spectrum of activities and interventions the project has undertaken since 2015. These practices are typified by local innovation and resource efficiency. They leverage local materials in a way that benefits soil health and is financially sustainable for farmers. Through its efforts, the project has helped rehabilitate 54,658 hectares of land in the implementation area. We have validated business models for products such as crop residue-based biochar and quality-tested urban organic waste-derived compost. This has cemented the financial viability of the project’s SLM practices, incentivising their self-sustaining proliferation.

While these interventions respond to specific challenges within each local context, there is also potential for applicability and scale in other regions. To explore and operationalise the practices, India and other ProSoil global programme partner countries have already been working consistently to deepen South-South SLM knowledge exchange.

Au Bénin, les sols s’épuisent à un rythme accéléré du fait des mauvaises pratiques culturales, des conditions climatiques et de l’utilisation abusive des engrais minéraux. Une étude faite en 2016 sur le niveau de fertilité des sols par le Laboratoire d’Appui à l’Amélioration de la Santé des Sols, de la qualité des Eaux et à la sauvegarde de l’Environnement (L2A2S2E) de l’Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin (INRAB) a révélé que 90 % des sols du Bénin ont un niveau de fertilité faible à très faible, notamment dans les départements du Borgou, de l’Alibori et du Zou. Cela entraine des conséquences telles que la diminution des rendements des cultures, la menace à la sécurité alimentaire, l’augmentation de la pauvreté ainsi que la menace à l’environnement et à la santé humaine.

Pour inverser cette situation, le projet « Protection et Réhabilitation des Sols (ProSOL) » promeut la mise en œuvre à large échelle des approches de protection et de réhabilitation durables des sols au Bénin. Le biochar, la Terra Preta et le compost sont des innovations parmi les mesures de Gestion Durable des Terres (GDT) diffusées par ProSOL.

Le carbone, qui a été produit à partir du compost et dont la durée de vie est liée durable, contribue à réduire la quantité de CO2 qui a été produite lors de l'épuisement de la biomasse utilisée et qui a été produite à partir du compost.

Les processus de compostage et l'application de compost aux sols agricoles interagissent avec l'environnement et le système climatique de multiples façons complexes, ce qui entraîne de nombreuses incertitudes.

Afin de réduire ces incertitudes à l'avenir et d'accroître la robustesse des résultats comptables, des mesures des valeurs d'émission réelles ou du carbone séquestré devraient être effectuées régulièrement au cours de la mise en œuvre et de l'exploitation des technologies étudiées en Madagascar.

Documented by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, this compilation consists of three SLM practices for rehabilitating dry valleys employed across Ethiopia. Technologies such as ‘Water-spreading Weirs’ and ‘Masonry Check Dams’ and approaches such as ‘Participatory Rehabilitation of Dry Valleys’ represent a response to the needs and conditions of Ethiopia’s degraded landscapes. The practices have been published on the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) global database to enhance adoption.

By documenting and disseminating these SLM technologies, this compilation aims to support the efforts of policymakers, practitioners, and communities working to safeguard Ethiopia’s soil health and agricultural productivity. It is our hope that this resource will contribute to informed decision-making, foster knowledge exchange, and ultimately help build a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector in Ethiopia.

Le Bénin à l'instar d'autres pays en Afrique, est dans une dynamique de lutte contre les effets du changement climatique à travers l'établissement d'un cadre de gouvernance et des mécanismes de coordination institutionnelle (CNCC. MCVDD, CMEICB, FNEC, CTPNA, etc.) ainsi que l'adoption de politiques/stratégies opérationnalisées par la mise en œuvre de projets et de programmes. Ces mesures permettront de rendre la production agricole résiliente aux effets du changement climatique afin de garantir la sécurité alimentaire. L'intervention du ProSOL sur la Gestion Durable des Terres et l'Adaptation au Changement Climatique (GDT/ACC) promues dans ses zones d'intervention vient dès lors à point nommé pour contribuer à cette dynamique déjà en cours au Bénin.

Almost 40% of India (147 million hectares) is affected by land degradation, and 3.7 million hectares suffer from depletion of soil organic matter and nutrients. The major drivers of land degradation are agricultural practices, improper irrigation, cultivation in vulnerable or low potential land, and overuse of agro-chemicals.

In India more than 54 million metric tons (MT) of municipal solid waste are generated every year of which 50% is organic. Without treatment, organic waste, containing valuable nutrients and carbon originating in agricultural fields, accumulates in urban environments. This loss of nutrients from rural agricultural landscapes contributes to its degradation. There is a potential to recycle urban organic waste into compost and other soil enhancing products to return nutrients and carbon back to the soils.

The Indo-German development cooperation project ‘Soil Protection and Rehabilitation of degraded soil for food security in India (ProSoil)” is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in partnership with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The project is part of a larger global programme under BMZ’s Special Initiative “Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems”. The project is implemented in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and works with local implementation and mainstreaming partners.

One of the initiatives under the project is establishing a business model for compost manufactured using organic waste matter from urban centres. This compost can then be employed for rural agricultural fields, thereby closing the urban-rural nutrient loop.

This detailed project report presents an urban compost business model from the district of Jalna in Maharashtra. Here, the project’s NGO partner Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) worked with the Krishiyug Farmer Producer Company (FPC) in establishing supply chains and sales of city compost.

Cette documentation a été réalisée grâce à la collaboration et la disponibilité des différents acteurs de ProSol Madagascar. Nous tenons à reconnaître les contributions inestimables de tous les agriculteurs qui mettent en œuvre des technologies et des approches de gestion durable des terres (GDT) pour la qualité des informations partagées, leur disponibilité pour l’accès aux exploitations, et leur contribution à l’utilisation durable des sols et à la réhabilitation des sols dégradés. Nos remerciements vont également à l’endroit des différents experts des structures partenaires impliquées dans le projet, des compilateurs de pratiques et des personnes qui ont contribué à la rédaction des documents.

Cette compilation et la collecte des données ont été dirigées par le partenaire du consortium WOCAT, l’Alliance de Bioversity International et le Centre International d’Agriculture Tropicale (CIAT). Ces données proviennent des technologies et des approches de réhabilitation des sols mises en œuvre par le Programme global « Protection et réhabilitation des sols pour la sécurité alimentaire » (ProSol). ProSol fait partie de l’initiative spéciale « Transformation des systèmes agroalimentaires » commandée par le Ministère Fédéral Allemand de la Coopération Économique et du Développement (BMZ). Il est cofinancé par l’Union Européenne et la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates.

Nous remercions tous ceux qui ont contribué à l’élaboration de ce document, en particulier le personnel de la GIZ pour avoir initié ce projet, et à WOCAT et ses collaborateurs pour avoir facilité cette documentation. Nous exhortons les parties prenantes à le lire et à s’en approprier.

La mise en place depuis 2020 du système de Semence de Qualité Déclarée (SQD) dans le Boeny marque une avancée significative dans l’amélioration de la qualité des semences ainsi que le soutien à une agriculture plus durable dans la région.

Ce système SQD répond à la nécessité d’améliorer l’accès des paysan·ne·s à des semences de meilleure qualité et de variétés bien adaptées aux conditions agroécologiques spécifiques de la région Boeny.

Ce document présente en détail les trois axes clés du déploiement du système SQD dans la région : (1) la définition et la mise en place des Normes de certification des semences, (2) l’inscription des variétés locales au Registre SQD Boeny et (3) la formation des paysan·ne·s multiplicateur·rice·s de semences.

La mise en place depuis 2020 du système de Semence de Qualité Déclarée (SQD) dans le Boeny marque une avancée significative dans l’amélioration de la qualité des semences ainsi que le soutien à une agriculture plus durable dans la région.

Ce système SQD répond à la nécessité d’améliorer l’accès des paysan·ne·s à des semences de meilleure qualité et de variétés bien adaptées aux conditions agroécologiques spécifiques de la région Boeny.

Ce document présente en détail les trois axes clés du déploiement du système SQD dans la région : (1) la définition et la mise en place des Normes de certification des semences, (2) l’inscription des variétés locales au Registre SQD Boeny et (3) la formation des paysan·ne·s multiplicateur·rice·s de semences.

For all investigated concepts, the production and application of the Terra Preta Substrate (TPS) lead to negative emission results under the selected assumptions, resulting from an assumed carbon sequestration that exceeds the greenhouse gas emissions from the production of the TPS. Whereby, the concepts with advanced pyrolysis technology are the most advantageous due to the reduced CH4 emissions from pyrolysis.

Emissions of methane and nitrous oxide from composting and pyrolysis process are by far the most significant emission sources in the overall result. The result shows a high influence of carbon sequestration in the overall balance. The carbon introduced and permanently sequestered, mainly via the biochar, leads to high CO2 credits.

TPS production, including pyrolysis and composting processes, and the application to agricultural soils interact with the environment and climate system in multiple complex ways, this results in many uncertainties.

In order to reduce these ranges in the future and to further increase the robustness of the accounting results, measurements of actual emission values or sequestered carbon should be taken regularly during the further implementation and operation of the investigated technologies in India.

Fourteen selected SLM practices under the ISFM+ project were documented by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and published on the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) global database for scaling out. By documenting and disseminating these ISFM technologies, this compilation aims to support the efforts of policymakers, practitioners, and communities working to safeguard Ethiopia’s soil health and agricultural productivity. It is our hope that this resource will contribute to informed decision-making, foster knowledge exchange, and ultimately help build a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector in Ethiopia.

Indo-German development cooperation project ‘Soil Protection and Rehabilitation of Degraded Soil for Food Security in India (ProSoil) is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in partnership with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The project is part of a larger global programme under BMZ’s Special Initiative “Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems”. Under this project, GIZ India in collaboration with BAIF Development Research Foundation, is supporting an initiative in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra to prepare an organic manure called Bio-PROM using residue from biogas plants.

Bio-PROM can generally be produced using different sources like organic manure, plant-based biomass, de-oiled cakes, potassium hummate, to name a few.

L'approche de diffusion « Paysan·nes Relais (PR) » mise en œuvre par le programme ProSol depuis 2019 vise à renforcer la résilience des agriculteur·rice·s à Madagascar en facilitant l'adoption de pratiques agroécologiques. Cette méthode repose sur la formation de PR, qui sont des agriculteur·rice·s locaux·ales sélectionné·e·s pour transmettre leurs connaissances et compétences à d'autres agriculteur·rice·s de leur communauté. Les PR jouent un rôle central en réalisant des démonstrations pratiques sur leurs propres parcelles, ce qui favorise l'apprentissage par l'expérience et l'échange entre pairs.

Clarifying and communicating the values of grasslands is essential to catalysing increased conservation, restoration and sustainable management. Grasslands and savannahs face significant and widespread threats from multiple fronts and are an underacknowledged ecosystem in the minds and imaginations of people around the world. The report reflects a growing recognition and commitment to grassland and savannah conservation within WWF and partners, due to their critical roles in food security, biodiversity, ecosystem services and human cultures. It contributes to momentum building towards the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and the next Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Mongolia, both in 2026. This report aims to help governments to develop ambitious yet realistic conservation strategies for these critical ecosystems and inform private sector initiatives and finance. 

Since its launch at COP 26, the Breakthrough Agenda has become established as an annual collaborative process centred around the Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is currently supported by over 60 countries representing over 80% of global GDP, and by over 150 initiatives working to enhance collaboration within major emitting sectors. Countries can endorse Breakthrough goals to make clean technologies and sustainable practices more affordable, accessible and attractive than their alternatives by 2030 in the power, road transport, hydrogen, steel, cement and buildings sectors.

The Breakthrough Agenda establishes an annual cycle to track developments towards these goals, identify where further co-ordinated international action is urgently needed to accelerate progress and then galvanise public and private international action behind these specific priorities in order to make these transitions quicker, cheaper, and easier for all.

To initiate this cycle, world leaders tasked the IEA and the Climate High-Level Champions to develop an annual Breakthrough Agenda report to provide an independent evidence base and expert recommendations for where stronger international collaboration is needed. From 2022-2024, the reports contained a detailed assessment on the state of international collaboration across these sectors in areas such as definitions, standards and certification, demand creation and management, research and innovation, finance and investment, infrastructure, and trade conditions, among others.

The Breakthrough Agenda Report 2025 – the fourth in the annual series – takes a different approach to previous reports, in that it does not contain the same detailed sector-by-sector assessment. Instead, this year’s report focuses on enhancing the methodology behind the detailed progress assessments, provides practical examples of collaboration through deep dives, and introduces a new focus chapter on fertilisers.

This document, encompassing various success stories and strategic insights, highlights the diverse contributions of Non-State Actors in advancing agricultural development. It features case studies such as Pambana Enterprise in Zambia, which exemplifies youth-led initiatives in reducing post-harvest losses and promoting food security and climate resilience. The role of media, as demonstrated by Sydney Katunga Phiri, is underscored as crucial for translating complex agricultural policies, fostering public accountability, and building a continental narrative around key themes like youth agripreneurship, gender inclusion, and climate-smart agriculture.

Toxic pollution on croplands—from pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial waste—poses a growing threat to soil health and the safety of crops for consumption. Addressing these contaminants is essential for food security, human well-being, and ecosystem resilience, yet significant challenges remain. In this Voices article, we ask, ‘‘What innovations and actions are needed to preserve croplands as a safe, sustainable foundation for the future of food?’’