by JASON on MARCH 18, 2011 in BLOG
Jason Aramburu of re:char and Salim Mayeki Shaban of ACON
Bungoma, Kenya– Today re:char has officially joined forces with ACON, an East African non-profit committed to bringing biochar and organic farming techniques to farmers in Western Kenya. Led by Salim Mayeki Shaban, ACON has converted 750 farms across 30 villages to biochar and organic techniques. Through their efforts, ACON has nearly doubled the crop yield for these farmers, and sequestered thousands of tonnes of CO2. In addition, these farmers have saved over US$200/ year (nearly half their income) by not purchasing chemical fertilizers.
The local community setting up a biochar plot
To date, ACON has relied on charcoal dust and smoky, tin-can stoves to produce biochar. Unfortunately, the local demand has greatly exceeded the production capacity of these stoves. Through this partnership, re:char will act as ACON’s exclusive partner and equipment supplier. We will provide their local farmers with proprietary 30-gallon and 55-gallon, batch biochar reactors. These units will allow local farmers to cleanly and efficiently produce enough biochar for their needs and the needs of their community. By leveraging our expertise in manufacturing and mass production, we are able to offer these reactors to farmers at a price they can truly afford. We at re:char are thrilled to work with ACON, and truly feel this partnership represents the beginnings of a biochar revolution in Western Kenya. Our goal is to reach 1,500 farmers by the end of 2011, and we are well on our way.
Jason Aramburu of re:char and Salim Mayeki Shaban of ACON
Bungoma, Kenya– Today re:char has officially joined forces with ACON, an East African non-profit committed to bringing biochar and organic farming techniques to farmers in Western Kenya. Led by Salim Mayeki Shaban, ACON has converted 750 farms across 30 villages to biochar and organic techniques. Through their efforts, ACON has nearly doubled the crop yield for these farmers, and sequestered thousands of tonnes of CO2. In addition, these farmers have saved over US$200/ year (nearly half their income) by not purchasing chemical fertilizers.
The local community setting up a biochar plot
To date, ACON has relied on charcoal dust and smoky, tin-can stoves to produce biochar. Unfortunately, the local demand has greatly exceeded the production capacity of these stoves. Through this partnership, re:char will act as ACON’s exclusive partner and equipment supplier. We will provide their local farmers with proprietary 30-gallon and 55-gallon, batch biochar reactors. These units will allow local farmers to cleanly and efficiently produce enough biochar for their needs and the needs of their community. By leveraging our expertise in manufacturing and mass production, we are able to offer these reactors to farmers at a price they can truly afford. We at re:char are thrilled to work with ACON, and truly feel this partnership represents the beginnings of a biochar revolution in Western Kenya. Our goal is to reach 1,500 farmers by the end of 2011, and we are well on our way.
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