Uganda’s 3.5 million smallholder farming households represent both the greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity in building a sustainable biochar economy. GBG’s business model is deliberately designed to place these farmers at the centre of every value chain, not at the periphery.
The Smallholder Proposition
Participating farmers commit a portion of their land to eucalyptus plantation under a GBG contract that guarantees biomass offtake at a fixed price. GBG provides seedlings, agronomic training, and access to kiln technology either directly or through trained community operators.
Within 4–5 years, a one-hectare eucalyptus plot provides a meaningful biomass harvest. The farmer receives income from biomass sale, and if they operate or co-operate a kiln, from charcoal and biochar production. Biochar applied to their food crop plots reduces fertiliser costs and improves yields — a direct, tangible benefit in the same season.
Scale of Impact
GBG’s 10-year programme targets 200,000 smallholder participants across Uganda, creating distributed income that reaches rural households who are otherwise excluded from carbon market value chains. This is not charity — it is a commercially structured model that aligns economic incentives with environmental outcomes.