Biochar/fertilizer question. was RE: [Biochar] Russian war worsens fertilizer crunch, risking food supplies | AP News

Mike and Rick,

Yes, “this biochar/fertilizer question” is extremely important and highly complex.  But simplified it might be broken down into a few statements that can be looked at individually and then brought together.   Feel free to reject or drastically
alter any of these statements.   Or build upon them.

1.  Agriculture needs fertilizer for productivity, but artificial / industrial / fossil-based fertilizers are not an acceptable answer.  They had their day;  they did some good and some bad;  time to move to better methods.

2.a.  Biochars can provide great physical benefits for many soils, but by themselves, they are not a fertilizer.   Biochars need help for their nutrient content. 

2.b.  “Natural nutrient substances” (or “nature-based nutrients”?) include manure and compost and other stuff like fishmeal, worm castings, rock dust, etc?) contribute nutrients, but by themselves they cannot fulfill the needs of agriculture. 
I think it is in part a delivery and holding issue to make those nutrients available on the land and not be quickly lost.

3.  Feedlot manure and crop residue for compost are abundant.

4.  Biochar has current limitations in large part because of cost of production and biomass management.   I am working on those issues, and how to do this is a separate discussion.  ASSUME for a moment that much biochar could be available.

5.  Then the question becomes:  Assuming that abundant “ingredients” are available, how do we make and utilize a “biochar-fertilizer”?

NOTE:  The term is not stated as the components of biochar / fertilizer, but as a “product” that is a biochar-fertilizer.  There can be many variations to become products as biochar-fertilizers (plural).

6.  How do we make and utilize “biochar-fertilizers”?   We can start with small quantities, but we must think about millions and hundreds of millions of tonnes.   Have confidence (or at least hypothetically assume) that the ingredients
will be available so that biochar-fertilizer can help save our planet.   Have a view to the  future.   What could and SHOULD we do with biochar-fertilizer.    And do not limit your thoughts to only the wealthy countries. 

What is or could be this vision.   If we cannot envision where we should be headed, it is unlikely that we will attain it.

Paul