Climatefarming

Mission

Climate farming uses agricultural means to keep carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses from escaping into the atmosphere. Like organic farming, climate farming maintains biodiversity and ecological balance on productive, agricultural land. But climate farmers (like the Swiss Hans-Peter Schmidt, who coined the term) go a step further and convert leftover organic mass into biochar, a solid carbon compound that can improve soil quality. Biochar production also creates a kind of gas that can then be burned to help generate power. A climate farm could grow food, generate power, and help keep carbon out of the air.

Organization Type Independent Consultant

Contact Information

Primary Contact
 Mr. Joerg Fingas
j.fingas@climatefarming.org 		Secondary Contact

Address Secretariat of Climatefarming
Lilli-Zapf-Strasse 27
Tuebingen, DE
72072
Germany 		Website www.climatefarming.org
Phone +49 7071 8606080
Fax +4932121364656
Calling/Fax Instructions Fax number is also a voicemail box

Our Focus

Primary Initiatives, Target Populations, and Scope of Work:

Climatefarming works in Germany in order to facilitate activities geared at the rehabilitation of depleted or challenged soils while supporting energy access for rural populations, food security and climate change mitigation. Current initiatives focus on projects in Senegal, to prove the concept of off-grid electricity generation to power a rice-mill (substitution of a diesel generator with a 10 KW rice-husk gasifier) and the conversion of Typha grass into pellets for household gasifier cookstoves as part of access to clean cooking energy, biochar creation, weed-management and local job creation. This initiative benefits from technical support by Foodandfuel consultants.
Other initiatives focus on assistance to the conversion and rehabilitation of previous military areas in Germany following the idea of climate farming and local job creation.

Fuels/Technologies: Biomass
Gasifiers at household and SME level for biochar creation and electricity co-generation		 Sectors of Experience: Agriculture
Energy
Environment
Forestry
Renewable Energy
Small Business
 Countries of Operation: Senegal
Germany

Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas

Social/Cultural barriers to using traditional fuels and stoves:

It takes time to showcase the benefits of biochar applications in soils and it is often not easy to couple stove promotion, fuel supply and agricultural activities due to lack of appropriate extension services.

Market development for improved cooking technologies:

Senegal: Local manufacturing of Typha pellets using a small German-manufactured pelletmaker is proven and functioning. Looking at the magnitude of the weed-management challenge, there is scope for expansion.
The adaptation of pyrolytic gasifier cookstoves to use the Typha pellets is well under way and reaching the next level of field testing in October 2011.

Electricity generation from ricehusk has its challenges, but the system is currently running smoothly and is raising interest in other areas. There is potential for further market penetration.

Technology standardization for cooking, heating and ventilation:

Still under development, as there are challenges to master the clean combustion of Typha pellets.

Indoor air pollution exposure and health monitoring:

Not yet started, as in the initial pilot stages.

Relevant Publications or Studies

None noted

Our Contribution to the Partnership

Sharing results and experiences with interested partners, and cooperate where options arise.