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HUSK

Biochar innovation in Cambodia
HUSK

Husk Ventures is a high impact social enterprise that produces carbon-based fertilizers and natural pesticides for smallholder’s in Asia. Co-founded by Heloise Buckland and Carol Ruis, they transform rice-husk into biochar products to regenerate soils, increase smallholders’ revenues and sequester carbon. See their story:

Smallholder farmers are being hit extremely hard by climate change, soil degradation, and food security; yet they grow most of the world’s food.

  • 30% of the world’s soils are degraded with extreme weather and intensive agriculture
  • Smallholders’ average incomes are less than $5 per day
  • Up to 50% of their expenses are for chemical inputs
  • In Asia and Africa smallholders account for 80% of agricultural production
  • Their livelihoods are severely threatened by climate change and soil degradation
  • Global rice industries produce 150 million tonnes of rice husk every year, which is either burnt or left to decompose; emitting greenhouse gases.

Listen to our founder’s interview with Heloise Buckland, CEO of HUSK.

HUSK is a high impact social enterprise that produces carbon-based fertilizers and natural pesticides for smallholder’s in Asia. Co-founded by Heloise Buckland and Carol Ruis, they transform rice-husk into biochar products to regenerate soils, increase smallholders’ revenues and sequester carbon. See their story:

Smallholder farmers are being hit extremely hard by climate change, soil degradation, and food security; yet they grow most of the world’s food.

  • 30% of the world’s soils are degraded with extreme weather and intensive agriculture
  • Smallholders’ average incomes are less than $5 per day
  • Up to 50% of their expenses are for chemical inputs
  • In Asia and Africa smallholders account for 80% of agricultural production
  • Their livelihoods are severely threatened by climate change and soil degradation
  • Global rice industries produce 150 million tonnes of rice husk every year, which is either burnt or left to decompose; emitting greenhouse gases.

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The HUSK solution

HUSK has pioneered a “viable, impactful and scalable model that transforms an under-utilised agricultural byproduct, rice husk, into affordable and highly effective biochar based inputs to build soil fertility, improve yields for smallholder farmers and combat climate change.”  

  • Biochar is a high carbon form of charcoal that improves soil quality by improving water and nutrient retention and stimulating microbial activity.
  • Biochar has been recognised by the IPCC as a viable and scalable solution to carbon capture and storage - trapping the Carbon for over 100 years.

HUSK produces the following biochar-based products for fruit, vegetable, and rice production:

  • HUSK Organic Biochar - add to the soil along with other nutrients for a 40% average increase in yield
  • HUSK Natural Insect Repellent - a chemical-free pest deterrent
  • HUSK Carbon Based Fertilizer - a biochar blend ready-to-use fertilizer
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Impacts so far

Since its incubation in 2017, and its work in Cambodia with smallholders’, HUSK has already had huge impacts.

HUSK aims to have sequestered 1 million tonnes of carbon, improved 1 million hectares of soil, and improved 2.5 million livelihoods by 2035.

Co-benefits:

  • Improving land and soil quality
  • Improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by increasing revenues and resilience to climate change
  • Reducing emissions from biodegrading rice husks
  • Reducing pollution from harmful fertilizers and pesticides

Supporting HUSK with your Carbon Investments

HUSK offers biochar carbon removal credits to pre-purchase, each of which will sequester 1 tonne of CO2; which a customer can buy to balance their carbon emissions.