US-Brazil Planning Visit, Biochar production and use in the Amazon to prevent soil degradation and miti-gate global warming? Sept 2009, Manaus, Brazil

拟议中的美国-巴西计划访问将允许美国私人律师。Christopher Steiner和Keshav C. Das（佐治亚大学）会见巴西农业研究机构的巴西合作者。Wenceslau Teixeira和Marcos Garcia计划了一个农业生产力的跨学科合作研究项目。对世界和巴西来说，用火砍伐森林都是一个主要的环境问题。另一种被称为“刀耕火种”的方法将从再生的生物质中产生木炭，以改善土壤，而不是通过火（刀耕火种）转化为二氧化碳。它的效率已在巴西的EMBRAPA进行了验证。使用木炭作为土壤改良剂（生物炭）将建立碳汇并提高热带农业的可持续性。在计划访问中，佐治亚大学团队将带来其在碳循环和转化方面的专业知识，而EMBRAPA将提供其在热带农业和生物炭方面的丰富经验。由于巴西在生物质能和替代能源领域处于领先地位，双方都将从农业生产力研究合作的成功建立中获益良多。

The proposed U.S.-Brazil planning visit will allow the U.S. PIs Drs. Christopher Steiner and Keshav C. Das (University of Georgia, UGA) to meet with Brazilian collaborators at EMBRAPA (Agricultural Research Agency of Brazil) Drs. Wenceslau Teixeira and Marcos Garcia to plan an interdisciplinary, collaborative research program in agricultural productivity. Deforestation by the use of fire is a major environmental concern for both the world and Brazil. An alternative known as "slash and char" would produce charcoal out of re-growing biomass for soil amelioration purposes instead of conversion to CO2 by fire (slash and burn). Its efficiency has been demonstrated in Brazil by EMBRAPA. The use of charcoal as soil amendment (biochar) would establish a carbon sink and improve sustainability of tropical agriculture. For the planning visit the UGA team will bring its expertise in carbon cycling and transformation while EMBRAPA will provide its ample experience with tropical agriculture and biochar. Because Brazil is a leader in the area of biomass and alternate energy, both sides will benefit much from the successful establishment of research collaborations in agricultural productivity.