BIOSORRA
Organization Details
BIOSORRA's main focus is to address climate justice in the Global South through the production of agricultural biofertilizer (biochar) that is affordable, durable, and sustainable compared to traditional fertilizers or slash-and-burn agriculture techniques. BIOSORRA's operations enable village-based production of biofertilizers using locally available crop waste (that would be otherwise burned) and labor, overwhelmingly benefiting traditionally underserved communities, and improving food security, climate change, and farmers' incomes.
BIOSORRA removes carbon from the atmosphere for thousands of years.
It has a unique model, that leverages its own patented technologies and R&D to maximize growth through a franchise model toward woman-led communities.
Here there's a two-minute explanatory video that the XPRIZE - Elon Musk foundation posted as we are part of award-winners teams from the decarbonization prize competition.
Impact Story
The problem:
We are all dependent on soil to grow our food. However, as the planet’s population grows, with Africa’s population slated to double by 2050, we will run out of arable land (UN 2022). A supply shortage of arable land directly impacts malnutrition, accelerates climate change and increases poverty.
The soil is suffering in several African countries due to inefficient farming techniques, such as slash-and-burn. Under this practice, farmers clear cut their land and burn any remaining crops or vegetation. While the resulting layer of ash provides the newly cleared land with a nutrient-rich layer to help fertilize the crops, the land only remains fertile for one or two years; in the long-run, slash-and-burn results in soil erosion, making it difficult to grow food in the future, as well as carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. Fewer crops result in lower incomes to adopt expensive fertilizers, modern equipment or sustainable farming techniques. This is the vicious cycle of land degradation.
Our Solution:
At Biosorra, we break the cycle of degradation by providing biochar and training to farmers and farming cooperatives across Kenya. Biochar is a soil improver that harnesses the power of crop waste to increase yields and simultaneously capture carbon.
We have developed a phased approach to supporting smallholder farmers to shift away from slash-and-burn techniques and towards sustainable techniques that will support increased food security across Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa.
Diverse Social Enterprise
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