Biochar for Timber Operators, Farmers, and Ranchers

Biochar, created by pyrolysis of biomass (insect-killed timber for this project) greatly improves soil fertility and increases crop yields when used as a soil additive.  Over 400 Ag research projects, in seven nations, have proven the above said biochar benefits. Research results are available from the U. S. Biochar Initiative (USBI) and Intl. Biochar Institute (IBI). NPI's related project biochar technology is based on several NPI improvements to the biochar process first developed many years ago by tribes in the Amazon Basin. These tribes used biochar to sustain soil fertility for farmlands where plant nutrients were mostly all lost from leaching caused by heavy tropical rains. Pyrolysis of most biomass removes the biogas and bio-oils from char (biochar) creating many cavities. These cavities provide homes for soil microbes that "pay rent" for space occupied by prolonged production of all plant nutrients needed to produce high crop yields. The basic human-centered design was first provided by tribes in the Amazon Basin.

In the U. S. biochar is currently produced in small quantities and sold in box-stores for gardeners. NPI produces biochar in large quantities using a trench method with a trench being filled with insect-killed timber. This biomass is set fire and the fire creates a fire-cap on the top one-third that prevents oxygen from reaching the lower biomass (timber). With little or no oxygen, this lower biomass achieves pyrolysis whereby biogas and bio-oils are removed from the biomass creating thousands of small cavities. NPI instructs and coaches potential biochar users to safely and efficiently make, crush, and inoculate biochar to use as a soil additive. Inoculation occurs by soaking biochar form 10-days in clean water with cultured soil microbes added along with NPI's proprietary additive. Farmer and rancher clients are then provided with NPI's innovative biochar farm implements to incorporate said biochar to farm fields and ranch pastures at a rate of 8 to 10 percent (by volume) added to soils.  In addition to greatly improving soil fertility and increasing crop yields long-term (10-years plus) with a single application, the biochar helps hold more soil moisture and accomplished massive carbon sequestration to help reduce global warming.     

NPI seeks to serve U. S. and overseas populations that are food and nutrient insecure by helping farmers, smallholder farmers, and ranchers have an affordable and feasible means to improve soil fertility and increase crop yields to provide foods needed by these peoples.  At the same time, NPI's project will reduce forest fires and increase the profitability of forest operators. Representatives of all these diverse populations assisted NPI in development of its biochar technology. Their needs for food and nutrient security have been documented by the U. N., World Bank, USAID, and others.  NPI's project will potentially benefit all peoples with no restrictions on age, race, national origin, gender, ethnicity, income, education, or anything else.  Lives of those served will have better health and well-being while having improved immune system response.   

NPI's solution has the potential to reduce global issues of food insecurity, hunger, and armed conflicts based on prolonged hunger. In addition, biochar used for the project will help conserve crop irrigation water and accomplish carbon sequestration to reduce global warming.

NPI's basic biochar solution, to help solve food insecurity, was proven for over a hundred years by tribes in the Amazon Basin and by over 400 Ag biochar research projects in seven nations. NPI's improvements to subject biochar technology benefited smallholder farmers with soil infertility problems in El Salvador.  Their use of biochar, as a soil additive, solved this problem and made a major contribution to solving food insecurity in that nation via resulting higher crop yields.  NPI expects the same results in the U. S. and for any nation where farmers/ ranchers are provided with said advanced biochar technology.

By means of distance education, eBooks, and ERIC (Educational Resources Info Center) NPI now serves over 134,000 small businesses.

In a year, NPI expects to serve not less than 190,000 small businesses.

Within five years, NPI estimates it will serve more than 240,000 small businesses.

NPI's goal is to provide food and nutrition security to not less than 31 million within five years.

NPI's communities served include:

1) The U. S. Forest Service via reduction of forest fire hazards by removing insect-killed timber from national forests;

2) Timber harvesting businesses profiting by harvesting timber; 

3) Farmers and ranchers seeking to sustain soil fertility and high crop yields, as well as farm/ ranch profitability by avoiding the need to buy commercial fertilizers at ever increasing prices; and

4) The food consuming public by benefiting via having healthful foods available for purchase at reasonable prices.

For over two decades, NPI has provided the community it serves, to include small business owners, with innovative technical information by direct and distance education means. NPI's website (http://www.needfulprovision.org)  provides instruction on 1) Organic crop production; 2) Civic action; 3) Safety & survival for volunteers working in hazardous areas; 4) Entrepreneurship; 5) Counterdesertification;  6) Biochar; 7) Critical resource conservation; 8) Tubal-Algalculture production; & 9) Carbon Sequestration. NPI also communicates via studies, magazine articles, books, and announcements about its projects. ERIC (Educational Resources Info Center) also helps communicate NPI's technical solutions such as presented in "The Remote Areas Development Manual" per ERIC-ED242881. The engagement methods used by NPI are based on management by objective and specialized means that are project appropriate. These methods have been chosen because for over two decades they have proven to work best. An early method of same was developed by NPI's founder & President, David Nuttle. 

NPI's impact goal for 2023 is to complete and demonstrate innovative crop production technologies for use under adverse climatic conditions. To do so, NPI is constructing and will operate an automated, all-season greenhouse having alternative energy, solar-zeolite cooling, advanced drip-irrigation of crops, biochar addition to grow-bed soils to double typical crop yields, security & biosecurity. and other advanced crop production features. This model is being constructed at SW Open School, Cortez, Colorado. A series of related instructional DVDs (videos) is being made to teach these technologies, worldwide, by means of distance education.  With one-third of all land being desert, to include much of the SW in the U. S., NPI seeks to provide a means of food security to an estimated 740 million people who are food and nutrient insecure residents of these areas.  Replication of said technologies will be used to help achieve this goal.

Truist Foundation and MIT Solve may have the political connections to help NPI overcome the project barriers listed in NPI's "More About Solution Page."  In addition, the support received as part of a grant award should by most helpful in all regards.

NPI seeks to help solve massive global food and nutrition security that will require replication of efforts via franchise opportunities and other means. Most of the help NPI needs is in the above area. For global operations, NPI will need to recruit an array of support from host government agencies. In areas where prolonged hunger and related frustrations have created armed conflicts, NPI may require support from local security entities.

N. B. Darfur, in Sudan, is an example of where food insecurity created armed conflict killing over 400,000 people and displacing over two million.