Gbiligu (N/R), May 14, Ghanadot/GNA
- The Gbiligu Ecological Farm has
started an experiment that uses common charcoal powder to
improve soil fertility.
The organic farm, which had been using only compost, animal
and
green manure to improve soil fertility, is trying the use of
charcoal,
scientifically called Biochar as a soil amendment product,
to help
improve soil resource by increasing crop yields and
productivity.
Biochar known to reduce soil acidity improves water
retention and
retain soil nutrients for plant and crop utilization, by
reducing
leaching and surface water run-off.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at
the
farm on Wednesday, Mr. Franz Josef Zemp, the Farm Manager,
said the idea of experimenting
with Biochar was suggested to him by a Swiss
scientist, Mr. Felix Jenni, who is also in touch with
a Switzerland
based NGO, called the Abokobi Foundation that has also
started similar
trials in the Afram plains.
He said if proven successful, the use of Biochar would be
good
for Northern Ghana as chemical fertilizer was too expensive
for many
farmers and the known organic manure was not available in
large
quantities to cover entire farm lands.
"Charcoal mixed in soil can reverse soil degradation and
create
sustainable food production in areas with severely depleted
soils,
scarce organic resources and inadequate water supply," he
said.
Mr. Zemp said the charcoal did not necessarily have to be
made
from trees, but could be produced form dry grass, as it is
only the
powder that is needed to mix with the soil on the farm.
Also the residue of household charcoal could be used.
The first trial on the farm was being done on a small scale,
using a tonne of charcoal powder on a one-fifth hectare plot
of land.
Five tonnes of charcoal would be needed for a hectare of
land, he
said.Mr. Zemp explained that once the soil was mixed with
the
adequate quantity of charcoal, its effects would be felt for
many
years and farmers can enjoy its benefits for a long time.
The use of charcoal to improve soil fertility started in the
Amazon basin about 2500 years ago and in some parts of
Brazil where it is used, the soils are very fertile.
GNA
