[Stoves] [biochar] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar - Unfulfilled Promises in Cameroon

Fri Dec 30 00:18:18 CST 2011

BFW focus looks to be mainly in Africa and unconsciously trying to protect the interest of the small scale farmers who face lots of challenges in their daily lives:
1) Poor leadership_ starting from NGOs and Governments.
2) Conflicts in struggle of land space and leadership.
3) Corruption.
4) Unemployment.
5) Drought and famine.
6) Diseases.
7) Reliance on foreign aids..
8) Poor capacity building on agricultural farming technologies among farmers.
With above challenges, lots of advantages have been taken over ignorant farmers; they have lost prium farms to NGOs, political leaders, rich people etc in the name of developments which have left farming communities in much more miserable situations than   before. Biochar involves biomass (forestry). With mass promotion of Biochar, BFW mischievously turned Biochar projects as Land Grabbing. To me, this was quick reaction from BFW on Biochar_ the project is interlinked with development of Biochar cooking stoves, which are to be used to make Biochar from presently unused biomass like rice husks, tree wigs, shrubs, sugarcane wastes, water hyacinths etc without in particular looking at our artificial and natural forests.
Two, there looks to misconception reports, are people already practicing Biochar farming or experimenting? To me, Biochar reports are still at experimental levels and any reports in effect to Biochar are experiment (research). BFW and any other people enquiring about on going experiments (research)  about Biochar, should also be able to provide challenging results on their negative (insignificant) results of Biochar in soil.
But depending on the above challenges facing farmers, scientists must think broader to achieve implementation of Biochar at grass root levels. I must leave to somewhere, I still have a lot to comment on this topic.
Peter.

--- On Tue, 12/27/11, Kevin C <kchisholm at ca.inter.net> wrote:

From: Kevin C <kchisholm at ca.inter.net>
Subject: Re: [biochar] [Stoves] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar - Unfulfilled Promises in Cameroon
To: rongretlarson at comcast.net
Cc: biochar at yahoogroups.com, "Discussion of biomass" <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>, "Erich Knight" <erichjknight at gmail.com>, "biochar-policy" <biochar-policy at yahoogroups.com>
Date: Tuesday, December 27, 2011, 10:50 PM

      Quoting rongretlarson at comcast.net:

> Kevin and several lists:

>

> 1. You said below: "# I have read the BFW Report. What are the  

> "Selected Quotes" to which you refer? "

>

> Answer: They were in the cite I gave about a dozen lines earlier (my  

> second line under "2"):

>

> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar-production/message/833:

# Thanks. However, I am reluctant to discuss selected quotes out of  

context. Selected quotes leave the door wide open for "cherry  

picking". If you could start by selecting a few of the quotes that you  

feel are most relevant, tehn we can focus on them in context.

>

> 2. I think our discussion on Rademakers and BFW would go better  

> after hearing your response to those quotes (of BFW).

# I would suggest that neither of us are competent to discuss the  

correctness and fairness (or incorrectness and unfairness of the BFW  

Report, unless we have first hand facts. Mr. Rademaker and his work  

are being discussed in the BFW Report. Mr. Rademaker would have the  

first hand facts to discuss or rebut the BFW Report. What does he say  

on the matter?

>

> 3. I have more coming on this topic (which I put in a "Box" labeled  

> "BFW" - not "Biochar", and certainly not "stoves").

# Anything that leads to "Truth In Biochar", and makes it easier for a  

Farmer to decide on the merits of Biochar utilization in his operation  

is of great interest to me.

Best wishes,

Kevin

>

> Ron

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "Kevin C" <kchisholm at ca.inter.net>

> To: rongretlarson at comcast.net

> Cc: biochar at yahoogroups.com, "Discussion of biomass"  

> <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>, "Erich Knight"  

> <erichjknight at gmail.com>, "biochar-policy"  

> <biochar-policy at yahoogroups.com>

> Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 2:01:42 AM

> Subject: Re: [biochar] [Stoves] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar -  

> Unfulfilled Promises in Cameroon

>

> Quoting rongretlarson at comcast.net:

>

>> Kevin and ccs:

>>

>> 1. This is getting complicated - as the dialog has shifted from the

>> BFW story on Africa/Rademakers over to the IBI material.prepared by

>> Kelpie Wilson. My perception is that you are looking for specific

>> information from both reports that were not intended and aren't

>> there. So I see no reason to respond to your questions about

>> Kelpie's IBI work .

>

> # This is not complicated at all:

> a: BFW presents a report on biochar tests

> b. "Defenders of the Faith" demonize BFW, rather than showing where

> their Report is wrong in a factual, scientific, and professional manner.

> c: I made no mention of Kelpie's work.

> d: You would appear to be clouding the issue, to avoid dealing with

> the matter in a factual way. I am amused that you criticize me for

> asking for information that is not in the report, and which the report

> did not intend to convey (why the corn with biochar grew so well), yet

> you do not criticize Erich when he assumes that it was the biochar,

> and not other conditions, that made the corn grow so well. (more

> water, fertilizer, organic matter, manure, compost, better soil in

> general, better test management, etc.)

>>

>> 2. The BFW story was covered on the biochar lists about a month ago; see:

>> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar-production/message/833

>> It is unfortunate that this story is started over again on the

>> stoves list. It doesn't belong - there is zero stoves aspect to the

>> BFW story..

>

> # You yourself are using the Stoves List as a way to promote biochar

> production! How can you possibly say that the Article has no relevance

> to Stoves? If the BFW Article has a valid basis, then it would suggest

> that the potential for biochar is diminished. Nobody so far has

> refuted their article in a rational manner. Can you?

>>

>> 3. I look forward to hearing your reaction to the selected quotes

>> from BFW's report - which I presume you have not yet read.

>

> # I have read the BFW Report. What are the "Selected Quotes" to which

> you refer?

>

> Best wishes for a happy and Prosperous 2012

>

> Kevin

>>

>> Ron

>> :

>>

>> ----- Original Message -----

>> From: "Kevin C" <kchisholm at ca.inter.net>

>> To: biochar at yahoogroups.com

>> Sent: Monday, December 26, 2011 8:37:12 AM

>> Subject: Re: [biochar] [Stoves] allAfrica.com: Africa: Biochar -

>> Unfulfilled Promises in Cameroon

>>

>>

> <snip>

>

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