Sayari Earth and Stellenbosch University’s School for Climate Studies Join Forces to Pioneer Biochar Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity

This partnership comes at a critical time for South Africa. Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are among the biggest threats to the country’s biodiversity, water security, and productive land use. The Department of Water Affairs estimates they already cover about 10% of South Africa’s surface area – a figure that continues to rise.

At the heart of the collaboration is community-based pilot mobile biochar technology that can transform invasive plant biomass into a stable form of carbon that stays locked away for centuries. By combining Stellenbosch University’s deep expertise in climate science and biodiversity with Sayari Earth’s innovation in community-based carbon finance, carbon monitoring and digital earth observation, the project aims to tackle three urgent challenges at once:

• Removing invasive species that threaten local ecosystems.
• Storing carbon in a durable, verifiable way.
• Creating value chains that benefit local communities.

Shared Research Goals 

Over the next year, the two organizations will:

• Conduct baseline biomass and soil carbon assessments to measure the climate potential of biochar production.
• Analyse the economic and biodiversity benefits of producing biochar from invasive species.
• Build a value chain model for sustainable biochar markets in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces.
• Collaborate on joint funding applications to scale successful approaches nationally and internationally.

A Partnership of Complementary Strengths

Stellenbosch University will lead research on biomass and soil carbon data synthesis, biodiversity benefits, and value chain analysis.

Sayari Earth will provide mobile biochar technology, carbon monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), community capacity building, carbon finance and sales and marketing support, and economic value analysis using advanced earth observation tools.

Prof. Guy Midgley, Director of the School for Climate Studies, says:

“The SCS is excited to be working on a challenging and multi-disciplinary topic of such crucial importance in the science to implementation space with Sayari Earth. This work offers us the opportunity to contribute to building the evidence base for the sustainability of nature-based solutions that restore natural ecosystems and serve people directly.”

Dr. Hassan Sachedina, CEO and Founder of Sayari Earth, adds:

“This partnership reflects our goal to deliver nature-based solutions that work for both people and the planet with a solid academic foundation. Together, we can turn waste invasive biomass into a climate asset while creating new livelihood opportunities.”

Looking Ahead

The research phase begins in August 2025 and will run through July 2026, with early results on value chain feasibility expected by the end of 2025. The project is designed as a foundation for future scaling, with the goal of positioning South Africa as a leader in biochar-based carbon removal and biodiversity restoration.