Slash-and-Char
I was originally introduced to the idea of slash-and-char when I went to the Museo Etnografico del Friuli; there are painted depictions of how Udine was created centuries ago, and a part of that process was clearing the land by slashing and charring plant matter, rather than doing a slash-and-burn.
For agricultural purposes, slash-and-char methods have been used in the Amazon rainforest, and are currently by Loma and Mende people in Western Africa; a highly productive and restorative indigenous practice. Rice husk charcoal was also used to amend soil in Japan! Primarily, it is used to fertilize and moisten the soil, but it also allows soil to act as a carbon sponge, reducing carbon emissions over time.
Along with the use of other organic materials (such as manure and food scraps), the soil becomes self-fertilizing; like a starfish regrowing a cut limb, the microbes in the soil can regrow when tampered with. It becomes a resilient life form!
West African farmers are transforming nutrient-poor rainforest land in to fertile soil and their crops are thriving. It might be the solutio
But the benefits don't stop there- charcoal-treated soil surpress heavy metal absorption in plants, opening up more areas for agricultural purposes.
Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils is of worldwide concern. Unfortunately, there are currently no efficient and sustainable app
Slash-and-char with contaminated soil:
How the resulting charcoal can be used:
Slash and Char: An Alternative to Slash and Burn Practiced in the Amazon Basin
1. The residues from charcoal production are mainly used as an amendment in planting holes. Mainly bananas (or other fruit trees) are planted in such holes. Typically, the holes are about 30cm wide and 50 cm deep. These planting holes are filled with chicken manure, charcoal, and soil.
2. The slash and char farmers produce a kind of charcoal compost. Around the charcoal kilns they dig holes in which the charcoal residues are deposited in layers alternating with organic matter, ashes, and soil. After 1 year of decomposition, the farmers use the created material as fertilizer applied on the soil surface.
3. Charcoal residues are used for vegetable and herb production in home gardens. These gardens are planted in elevated planters, and the crops aregrown about 1.5 m above the ground to avoid damages caused by domestic animals. These planters are filled with soil, charcoal residues, compost,chicken manure, and other forms of organic matter.
4. Charcoal residues are applied on the soil surface. Farmers report that this maintains soil moisture, especially during the dry season.