Deforestation Free Charcoal

90% of families in Madagascar use charcoal for cooking fuel, and at least 400 tons of charcoal are consumed daily across southern Madagascar, equivalent to about 70 hectares of unique Spiny Forest every day.
Our solution is to transform agave waste into charcoal briquettes using a simple but efficient system created by MIT’s D-Lab and improved in partnership with University of Antananarivo and Tatirano.
We train communities in the biochar pyrolysis and briquette production processes, provide equipment, and purchase the end product, creating deforestation free, sustainable livelihoods.
With help from a grant from Conservation International and the Global Environment Fund, we now have production facilities in 5 villages in the Mandrare River Valley.