Ithaka Institut

Nepal

The first biochar country

Nepal is our country of heart, and it was the greatest of honors to start working on soil fertility in the Himalayas within the framework of an Asia Development Bank project in 2014. It was in Nepal that we introduced for the first time the Kon-Tiki biochar method on a field and farm scale. It was in Nepal that we showed how organic biochar fertilizer made at the farm just in front of the cattle shed could, on average, double the vegetable yields.

In Nepal, we also developed the concentrated root zone application of biochar, which transforms from a nice but unaffordable idea to a viable farmer practice. We loved Nepal and working in the mountain villages with those profoundly kind people that taught us so much. When we shared the terrible experience of the massive earthquake in April 2015, we invited all the friends of Ithaka to help those destroyed villages where we had implemented the biochar methods. With the support of those generous donations, we were able to construct 32 earthquake resistant roundhouses within months. Later, we founded together with Bishnu Pandit, the formidable scientist, and farmer who was the local project leader for all our various projects in the country, the Ithaka Institut Nepal. Thanks to the Ithaka initiatives, Nepal became the first country in the world to officially support and subsidize organic biochar based fertilization. 

Many new projects and initiatives took place since. Please find more ample information about all these on the Website of the Ithaka Institute Nepal.

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Construction of the earthquake proven double round clay house in Ratanpur.