WORKSHOP ON THE POTENTIAL OF BIOCHAR TO DECARBONIZE THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR HELD ON 14 SEPTEMBER 2022

Time: 8.30 – 12.00, 14 September 2022

Venue: White Lotus meeting room, Center for Women and Development (CWD), 20 Thuy Khue, Tay Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam.

This physical workshop was cordially hosted by the International Cooperation Department (ICD) of MARD and UNIDO with the financial support of SECO under the project framework “Strengthening the business case of small-scale pyrolysis in Viet Nam”.

With a focused target towards strengthening the interactions among key stakeholders, informing the development of relevant policies, bringing impetus to the need for biochar quality standards and the recognition of the pyrolysis technology as a green technology in Vietnam to contribute to development goals of agriculture sector as well as the emission reduction target by 2050 committed by Viet Nam.

This event attracted participation and interactions of 44 participants from key relevant units under MARD (i.e. Department of Crop Production, National Center for Agriculture and Fisheries Extension, Legal Department, Department of Science Technology and Environment), research institutes and universities, NGOs and so on working in the biochar sector in Vietnam.

The workshop conducted successfully with lively discussion and lots of comments and key points raised by participants as mentioned below:

• • Legal framework for quality biochar in Vietnam: the need for national standard of biochar quality (per each type of application) and production technology (including pyrolysis technique)
  • The need for solid scientific evidence through field testing and monitoring of biochar usage for agricultural practices in the local context of Vietnam
  • Recognition of biochar and pyrolysis as green technology in the context of national action plan for climate change of Vietnam
  • Integrate biochar into GHG mitigation strategy of Vietnam in general and agriculture sector, NDC, organic farming, carbon farming in specific

The workshop consists of two main components. There were four presentations delivering to the attendees in the 1^st component of the workshop as below:

1. 1. UNIDO’s roles and efforts towards the promotion of small-scale pyrolysis technology as biochar-producing green technology
   2. Local market and demand for biochar from small-scale pyrolysis of agro-waste in Vietnam
   3. Pyrolysed biochar and its potential for decarbonization in the global context
   4. Biochar application in carbon farming: practices and policy recommendations

Working session and round table discussion among key actors were carried out at the 2^nd component of the workshop. The relevant key topics were addressed including biochar & green technology recognition, biochar quality standard, national platforms for interactions as well as policy recommendations.

The event attracted media attention and was reported on different channels, i.e. ISG- MARD’s website, VTC16 channel, Agriculture TV in Vietnam on TV show  and online news