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The work we did separated high-potential scaling environments, where concentrated mills, consistent feedstock, and strong logistics created favourable conditions compared to regions where dispersed smallholders, low mechanisation, or high competing husk demand limit what’s structurally feasible.
Farm-level and industrial biochar deployment offer two distinct pathways. Farm-level models enable rapid, inclusive adoption and directly engage smallholders, but they fall short on data integrity and credibility. Industrial models provide greater consistency, traceability, and operational efficiency, yet they depend on higher upfront investment and suitable infrastructure, which slows deployment. By communicating these trade-offs, we helped the World Bank understand which model fits with each context and what enabling conditions are required.
We also mapped MRV and certification readiness across the value chain, identifying where certification standards and digital MRV systems are suitable at farm versus mill levels and what that means for scalability, data requirements, and integrity. The analysis clarified which types of data are required for robust crediting, where existing infrastructure can support MRV, which modalities impose unrealistic burdens on farmers, and where private-sector or government support is needed to build MRV capacity.
Our work resulted in a scaling roadmap tailored for World Bank operations. We showed where biochar can contribute to methane reduction, soil improvement, and waste-burning mitigation in existing programs. We identified which project structures would unlock meaningful climate benefits at scale, what enabling conditions are required, and which early-stage pilots can de-risk long-term investment.
The World Bank now has a practical strategy for integrating biochar into low-emission rice transitions, national climate targets, and future-carbon structures across 15 EAP countries.
