From waste to resilience: A circular biochar framework for climate-smart agriculture in Africa

African agricultural systems are at a critical juncture, grappling with the interconnected challenges of soil degradation, climate change vulnerability, and rising food insecurity. While innovative, context-appropriate technologies are urgently needed, a significant chasm often separates promising pilot-scale demonstrations from their widespread adoption within national agricultural frameworks. This perspective paper explores biochar, a carbon-dense substance generated from the pyrolysis of organic waste, as a significant case study of this pilot-to-policy divide. Building upon recent discussions that have highlighted its potential, this analysis moves beyond advocacy to provide a critical examination of the socio-technical and economic barriers impeding its integration into African farming systems. We synthesize evidence from ongoing initiatives across the continent to argue that biochar's agronomic and climate benefits, while well-documented in experimental settings, remain unrealized at scale due to policy misalignment, limited farmer awareness, and underdeveloped value chains. We advocate for a unified approach to integrating biochar, underscoring the necessity for its official incorporation in national climate commitments, the tactical realignment of agricultural incentives, the establishment of continent-wide quality benchmarks, and its expedited assimilation into carbon market frameworks. We conclude that without such systemic and policy-oriented support, biochar and other similarly promising agricultural innovations risk remaining perpetually in a pilot phase, thereby delaying crucial progress toward a more resilient and food-secure future for the continent.