Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Peter Burgess ... Biochar Haiti ... a subgroup of Biochar Offsets

First let me say that I have no claims to being a Biochar expert but I do like what I hear and read. The Vetiver Network International promotes various applications of the Vetiver System (VS) that is dependent on the the use of the unique plant vetiver grass - Chrysopogon zizanioides.

Its taken us some 20 years to get the world to take notice of the VS, due partly because of the very extensive reporting and library archives at TVNI's website at http://www.vetiver.org and also to many many users and enthusiasts around the world and the networking that goes with it.. Today a lot of people are using vetiver for all sorts of applications based on proven project work under all sorts of conditions in the tropics and semi tropics.

For those of you involved in Haiti VS does provides one of a number of technologies necessary for the rehabilitation of land and agriculture. That is why Mike Mahowald, the WINNER project and others are expanding the use of vetiver applications. The more vetiver applications that a Haitian farmer can benefit from, the more likely he is to use it. That is why I am excited about the new use of vetiver for composting toilets. It is also why I encourage you Biochar folks to seriously work to find ways of using vetiver as a fuel for cooking. Remember about 200 meters of vetiver hedgerow will provide sufficient fuel for a family of six for one year. Most farmers on sloping lands in Haiti could eventually have much more than 200 meters. Far better to cut vetiver, located on ones doors step for fuel than trudge miles to cut fuel from the fast disappearing forests! I hope that those of you who work in Haiti might partner with Mike and WINNER and move this process forward.
October 1, 2010

Criss Juliard • I support Dick Grimshaw's vision of seeing Vetiver used not only for soil erosion control and as a pioneer plant to retain soil humidity in reforestation areas, and compost toilets but also as an ideal plant that households are encouraged to multiply and plant to delimit their farm plots. Haitians in several zones have been using vetiver for that. However, most Haitians know the plant for its roots, which are used in the essential oil sector (but mostly in the in the South/Les Cayes area).

What is not harvested are Vetiver's tall leaves, which when trimmed regularly regrow quickly and can be easily turned into Biochar pellets. A person to contact at WINNER project who coordinates Vetiver activities and who can lead you to sources of vetiver plants is Luders 'Junior' Luc (Vetiver Coordinator) at WINNER: email: lluc@winner.ht With the advent of Biochar, we can increase Vetiver's value through a legitimate use of its massive leaf system.
October 8, 2010• Like

Otto Formo • Any type of dry biomass, inclusive Vetiver gras can be used as fuel in a TLUD for cooking.

We are planning to bring in moblie units of equipment to make those different types of biomass into pellets to fuel the TLUD ND Peko Pe Energy Unit. One 'standard' of fuel need only one 'standard' of TLUD`s, thats our philosophy.

Just bring Mike to us and we will give it a try, we belive in cooperation.

Dont forget that the Peko Pe Energy Unit was introduced by Paal Wendelbo in Uganda in the early 1990`s as the 'Grasburner' to be used in Adjumani refugee camp.

We will soon release a short documentary from Kampala made in 1996.

Criss, I dont get you when you are talking about biochar pellets?

You dont mean to make the char into pellets?

I have seen some have mentioned that as an option, but why not make the biomass into pellets from the beginning?

Your end product will be 'biochar-pellets'.
October 10, 2010• Like

On the face of it, this is a good idea ... these are good ideas. But it would be so much easier to get traction with the ideas, and to get financial support for the ideas if there were some meaningful metrics that everyone can rely on. This is what I am trying to do with The Burgess Method (TBM) of value analytics. The key question that needs an answer is simply the cost of activities versus the progress realized because of the activities. Progress is simply the improvement in the 'state' of the community between before the activities and after the activities. All of this is similar to business accounting and reporting, except it is about community value rather then business profit.

Peter Burgess
http://communityanalyticsca.blogspot.com
October 10, 2010

I very much agree that the costs of this activities has to be 'sustainable' and to compete with the most common fuel of to day on Haiti, charcoal.

But when you know that the remaining forest of Haiti is lower than 3% of the original forestcover, there is no choice and the production of charcoal for household enrgy has to stop NOW.

Therefore, in short terms, we have to subsidize the change of fuel from charcoal to any type of pellets made out of dry biomass, even if it will 'cost' more of to day it will benefit the people of Haiti in the long run.

This 'turnover' process has to start to DAY, before its to late for the forest to recover and it will take decades to complete.

'The battle of Haiti' has just begun and one of the main focus should be to restore the forestcover 'as soon as possible' and bring the people of Haiti back to the rural areas to cultivate their land in a sustainable manner using methods involveing biochar, if you like.

Even in the western world we seems to 'forget' that we need to produce our own food and preferable based on local common knowledge and manpower.

'Small is beautifull', seems to be a usefull slogan from now on and in the future to come. October 10, 2010• Like

You make the case for value accounting very well. The Burgess Method (TBM) is all about getting some balance between making money and creating value. When TBM value chain analysis is done it is apparent that charcoal may be profitable but there is substantial value destruction.

I have worked in many developing countries ... more than 50 over almost as many years ... and the energy crisis is not that petroleum resources will run out in the future, but that firewood has already run out. Your figure of 3% of the forest cover left in Haiti is bigger than the 2% number I have been using!

The value chain analysis in TBM suggests that bringing back forest cover has huge value ... but not very much of the activities needed are able to make short run monetized profit. This means that the modern and quite foolish system of project analysis based on money return on investment will fail to allocate resources to activities that build forest cover ... at the same time that they will fund forest projects that extract timber from the forests!

The prevailing system of metrics is a global disgrace and must be changed. My hope is that TBM will help this to happen.

Peter Burgess
October 10, 2010

I hope you are right and I guess both the focus on Climate Change and Financial crizes will open the eyes of them who belives in 'false' values based on only money return out of any type of investments.

Money is just a 'tool-kit' to achive something and to exchange values in a certain way based on mutal understanding and honesty.

If thats gone everyhting is gone..............

Land, water and clean air are real values which mony can never replace.

When the land is destroyed and the water and air poluted you just move to next the continent? Is that a solution? No, it just reflect a disaster and a short term 'solution' out of greed and dispare..

Otto October 11, 2010• Like

Hello Otto just found this article 5 months late? I agree that money is always incentive for people to change habits.

Fact is charcoal is expensive and making vetiver into fuel pucks is the best way to keep them from cutting trees.

When we get enough Pelo Pe stoves they will realize the value and it will be great income for farmers to harvest it into fuel pucks.

There is no need to even discuss making biochar with Haitian mountains, unless it is saved from washing into the ocean Vetiver grass hedgerows stops the erosion and holds the neutriants on the mountainside.

Making vetiver into grass pellets will be a lot harder than briquetting them because of the cost and hauling grass to plants or pellets to urban areas. You can make fuel pucks (not to confuse you with chared briquettes) anywhere. If we can make the vetiver into fuel pucks close to where it grows it will bring monotary value to those that used to the thousands who used sell charcoal. It would be wide spred after making pucks they can bag them and bring them to town on taptaps the way they always have just now it would be clean and burn clean! Please look at my site that is dedicated to this project. http://haitireconstruction.ning.com/page/alternative-fuel-for-haiti Thanks Mike mahowald April 1, 2011• Like