TEDxHilo - Josiah Hunt - Biochar and the Future of Farming

Josiah Hunt has worked extensively with biochar for several years now. A young farmer and agriculturalist, he has been researching the topic, educating on the topic and created a business focused on the production and distribution of biochar. While biochar is multi-faceted involving waste management, energy production, climate change mitigation and agriculture, biochar in agriculture has been the focus of his work. Josiah is a graduate of UHH and has been a resident of Hawaii since 2002.
In Josiah's TEDxHilo Talk, "Biochar and The Future of Farming" Mr. Hunt describes the process he employs on Hawaii Island for biochar use farming food crops. He clearly shows the benefits of using biochar in multiple farming efforts by clear players in our local agricultural community. Demonstrable yields were highlighted in this articulate and easy to follow talk. Organic farmers everywhere should watch this video.
About TEDx
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TEDxHilo
Hawaiʻi Island has a wealth of knowledge. Our rich Hawaiian culture blankets our remote living laboratory in aloha and we live in natural resource abundance. Our ancient history of navigators, farmers and cultural art is unique to our planet. Our diversity and pioneering spirit transcend Earth's normal evolutionary path. We move forward with lokahi and aloha in an effort to help create a global model of sustainability and abundance.
TEDxHilo 2012 theme:
"Helping to Create a Global Model of Sustainability and Abundance on Hawaiʻi Island."
To get involved in TEDxHilo please visit: TEDxHilo.com

[@Myxlplyk]

Good talk. Josiah is a great ambassador to charcoal amendments.

[@joosukas]

I agree with Sri Ram, talk is amazing but cameraman failed to capture the presentation which would have added much to the talk.

[@MDSsp251]

Excellent!!

[@jamieholland8951]

Help save the world and get paid for it is very smart and it is cool to see how he's implemented it to change our world.

[@MrSchpankme]

Soil Combustion - To get a fire you need three (3) ingredients; ignition, fuel and oxygen. In the soil nitrogen is always present (ignition), bring in raw material (fuel), air follows (oxygen), and without smoke, it all burns up.

[@Crina-LudmilaCristeaAuthor]

Great!💛

[@mnnnw]

😊🎉

[@shivarampanda5236]

lazy or distracted camera man couldn't get the whole presentation wit slides but concept is amazing

[@karlmehler8632]

smarten up

[@downbntout]

I'm trying to understand this biochar thing, but isn't it true that burning is always involved? Will someone please explain how all that smoke in the air can be a good thing? What am I not understanding? How can you burn up rice hulls or tree trunks or whatever and actually benefit the planet? How is the tera preta any different than the slash 'n burn destruction in the Amazon today? Anyone?

[@RobbiePT]

The difference is that when a piece of dead plant matter, like a fallen tree, is left on its own, most the carbon is returned through decomposition by bugs and microbes. If it's turned into biochar, then some is returned to the atmosphere through the burning, but much more is locked in the biochar than compared to just leaving it alone. Additionally, the heat from the charring process can be used as part of a thermal power plant

[@thecurrentmoment]

Also, very little to no smoke is produced if the biochar is made properly, as there is very efficient combustion of only the wood gas part of the wood

[@johnorenick9026]

You're not burning this stuff, or most of it: you pyrolyze it, cook it in the absence of oxygen, and gather and use the volatiles that would burn if you let air reach it. You burn the gasses that cook off that won't condense to run the pyrolysis process: they are mostly hydrogen so you make mostly water vapor burning them. You can burn the rest of the gasses much more cleanly than open-burning slash, to generate electricity, you are left with 20 to 50 percent of the original mass as char, and you could scrub the particulates and CO2 out of the exhaust: Innovator Energy has an affordable technology to do that. Or you can condense the heavier gasses into pyrolysis oils, from which you can extract many of the chemicals we now get from petroleum; or burn them in an oil furnace, replacing petroleum fuel oil. Any way you do it, it is much cleaner than open burning, much less smoke, and a chance to capture and sequester some or all of the carbon in the biomass, which is mostly carbon.

[@FuckPedophileBiden]

i bought some biochar from your company and at over $47.00 for a small bag it is not affordable. While using it may be beneficial with poor soil when I used it at 7% I saw no difference.

[@rawmark]

This is why you learn to make it yourself. You can make it from virtually anything. Peanut hulls, pallet wood, dead wood from the forest, etc.

[@FuckPedophileBiden]

***** I found that adding biochar to the soil i mix makes no difference. So there is no point in me using it.

[@rawmark]

Dirt Farmer It does work but it takes time. Did you activate it properly or did it come pre-activated?

[@FuckPedophileBiden]

***** Like I stated if you have less than optimal soil then it may work. If you know how to add the right amendments to your soil then it does nothing. Pre-activated. If a plant has everything it needs when it needs it you cannot improve on that. You can't make the best better no matter what you do.

[@MsTokies]

***** probably didn't populate the char. biochar isn't like compost it's more like a biological apartment building. it's expanded surface area. gets better over time as it's more and more populated that's why you must activate it or populate the char

[@alexanderzulkarnain3190]

what happens if charcoal absorbs nuclear radiation? anti-radiation or even keep radiation longer? which if a disaster occurs all farmers must dispose of their charcoal that has been planted for decades at a very high cost.

[@plejaren1]

We know how they did it.

[@Grandteaclub]

I don't understand why everyone want to save the world? seem to be a trend to do this kind of talk. but people love to hears this kind stuffs.

[@timwestberry8243]

Only carbon remaining ? Charcoal is charcoal Good salesman

[@anchorbait6662]

What?? It's not a magic bullet? Sounds like a godawful amount of hard work. Count me out

[@timwestberry8243]

Charcoal is 10 dollars Its the same thing

[@3rty7]

this is an old polynesian trick.

[@ForestSakan]

eph5121 Jamie Holland is an oldhuman technology.. Developed as many indepedently in different societies.. At different times. No tag is assignable as to where this or that comes from.

[@dustystahn3855]

When I see something being promoted like this I follow the money. The people that are promoting this are the same people that that promoted the use of: synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, GMOs, mega monoculture farms (Frankenfood factories) and things like that. The results have been negative.The land, water and food has degenerated but that is okay because the promoters have made enormous profits and that is what it is all about. Charcoal is made from organic matter. Organic matter is needed to make the best fertilizer and it is natural fertilizer. What will be used a fertilizer if all available organic matter is made into charcoal? Here the plot thickens. Rock phosphorus is getting scarce and another source has to be found. There is phosphorus in organic matter. Make charcoal and Phosphorus trioxide is formed. Presto a renewable source of phosphorus to make synthetic fertilizer. There are usually two reasons why people do things: one which sounds good and the real one. Would you support converting organic fertilizer into charcoal if they told the truth?

[@anchorbait6662]

I don't trust people with fish print shirts.