Agricultural land is likely to be one of the main sites of application for biochar. However, studies on farmers’ perspectives on the adoption of biochar are scarce. There is a lack of research investigating the socio-economic suitability of biochar for farmers in industrialised countries, and on the social, political, cultural, and environmental dimensions of biochar. Arguments have been made that decision-making about biochar production and deployment needs to be informed by as wide a range of stakeholders as possible including farmers and others in the agricultural industry, researchers, policymakers, the biochar industry, and NGOs. To be effective, biochar discussion and decision-making need to be based on two-way communication and act as a learning process for all concerned.

To address the issue of ensuring two-way communication, and to share knowledge and experience of biochar use and application, on Thursday 4th May 2023, an Agricultural Biochar Knowledge Exchange event was held at The Allerton Project, Loddington, which brought together over fifty stakeholders including farmers and others from the agricultural industry, representatives from the biochar industry, policymakers, and academics. As part of this event, a deliberation session took place which encouraged all attendees to put forward their views and opinions on biochar. The responses were then coded and analysed, and the findings from the analysis are presented in this report.