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Biophysical potential of crop residues for biochar carbon sequestration, and co-benefits, in Uganda

dc.contributor.authorRoobroeck, D.
dc.contributor.authorHood‐Nowotny, R.
dc.contributor.authorNakubulwa, D.
dc.contributor.authorTumuhairwe, J.B.
dc.contributor.authorMwanjalolo, M.J.G.
dc.contributor.authorNdawula, I.
dc.contributor.authorVanlauwe, B.
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-04T11:39:06Z
dc.date.available2019-12-04T11:39:06Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.identifier.citationRoobroeck, D., Hood‐Nowotny, R., Nakubulwa, D., Tumuhairwe, J.B., Mwanjalolo, M.J.G., Ndawula, I. & Vanlauwe, B. (2019). Biophysical potential of crop residues for biochar carbon sequestration, and co‐benefits, in Uganda. Ecological Applications, 1-10.
dc.identifier.issn1051-0761
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/6528
dc.descriptionOpen Access Journal; Published online: 27 July 2019
dc.description.abstractIncreasing organic matter/carbon contents of soils is one option proposed to offset climate change inducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, under the auspices of the UNFCC Paris Agreement. One of the complementary practices to sequester carbon in soils on decadal time scales is amending it with biochar, a carbon rich byproduct of biomass gasification. In sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), there is a widespread and close interplay of agrarian‐based economies and the use of biomass for fuel, which makes the co‐benefits of biochar production for agriculture and energy supply explicitly different from the rest of the world. To date, the quantities of residues available from staple crops for biochar production, and their potential for carbon sequestration in farming systems of SSA have not been comprehensively investigated. We assessed the productivity and usage of biomass waste from maize, sorghum, rice, millet, and groundnut crops; specifically quantifying straw, shanks, chaff, and shells, based on measurements from multiple farmer fields and household surveys in eastern Uganda. Moreover, allometric models were tested, using grain productivity, plant height, and density as predictors. These models enable rapid and low‐cost assessment of the potential availability of feedstocks at various spatial scales: individual cropland, farm enterprise, region, and country. Ultimately, we modeled the carbon balance in soils of major cropping systems when amended with biochar from biomass residues, and up‐scaled this for basic scenario analysis. This interdisciplinary approach showcases that there is significant biophysical potential for soil carbon sequestration in farming systems of Uganda through amendment of biochar derived from unused residues of cereals and legume crops. Furthermore, information about these biomass waste flows is used for estimating the rates of biochar input that could be made to farmlands, as well as the amounts of energy that could be produced with gasifier appliances.
dc.description.sponsorshipAustrian Development Agency
dc.format.extent1-10
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsCC-BY-4.0
dc.subjectClimate Change Mitigation
dc.subjectNatural Resources Management
dc.subjectGreenhouse Gases
dc.subjectCropping Systems
dc.subjectSubsaharan Africa
dc.titleBiophysical potential of crop residues for biochar carbon sequestration, and co-benefits, in Uganda
dc.typeJournal Article
dc.description.versionPeer Review
cg.contributor.crpClimate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
cg.contributor.crpMaize
cg.contributor.crpRoots, Tubers and Bananas
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
cg.contributor.affiliationMakerere University
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEast Africa
cg.coverage.countryUganda
cg.creator.identifierDries Roobroeck: 0000-0003-3176-4444
cg.creator.identifierbernard vanlauwe: 0000-0001-6016-6027
cg.researchthemeNATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.iitasubjectClimate Change
cg.iitasubjectCrop Systems
cg.iitasubjectNatural Resource Management
cg.journalEcological Applications
cg.howpublishedFormally Published
cg.accessibilitystatusOpen Access
local.dspaceid109829
cg.targetaudienceScientists
cg.identifier.doihttps://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eap.1984


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