Releaf Earth is a Nigerian agritech startup founded in 2017 by Uzoma Ayogu and Ikenna Nzewi. It is on an impressive mission to transform African agriculture into a global force for sustainability and economic empowerment. Releaf’s technology is helping them tackle climate change, boost yield, and impact rural communities.
Since inception, Releaf is giving the oil palm value chain a new face by revolutionising palm nut processing and supply chain transparency. With carbon removal at the core of their operations, Releaf is poised to lead the world in carbon removal by 2030 while redefining what African agriculture can achieve.
A Vision for Sustainable Agriculture
Releaf Earth’s mission is to harness African agriculture to override current climate problems empowering rural communities. The company aims to become the world’s largest carbon removal company by 2030, with specific goals to:
- Remove 700,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e).
- Transforming 50,000 tons of crop residues into valuable resources every year, cleaning up farmlands, and fueling sustainability.
- Producing 20,000 tons of biochar annually, enough to enrich thousands of hectares of soil.
- Creating over 500 new jobs, with half empowering women in rural areas.
- Building 15 production sites across Africa, each a hub of innovation where local farmers and workers drive a sustainable economy.
- Boosting smallholder farmers’ harvests by 40%, ensuring families have more food, income, and resilience against climate challenges.
These are realistic and achievable targets considering how many factors playing into their favour. Africa produces about 1.4 billion tonnes of biomass annually with abundant raw material and biochar feedstock. This allow for a decentralised operation in biochar production. These factors position Africa and Releaf as a potential global leader in carbon removal and sustainable agriculture.
Releaf Solutions: Kraken
Kraken is Releaf’s proprietary technology for oil palm processing. It’s a de-shelling machine which processes palm nuts of any grade or quality, operating 25 times faster than local cracking equipment and 240 times faster than hand-shelling. It achieves a 95% purity rate for palm kernels, surpassing the industry standard of 88%.
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Source: Releaf
Kraken has processed over 10,000 metric tons of palm nuts, producing 2,500 tons of palm kernel shells so far. These shells form the core of Releaf’s circular economy as they’re integrated into operations as biochar feedstock. The technology’s ability to operate in rural, off-grid settings makes it ideal for smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of Africa’s agricultural sector.
Releaf Solutions: SITE
In addition to Kraken, Releaf Earth has developed SITE, an advanced geospatial mapping tool that ensures supply chain transparency and optimises the placement of biochar projects. SITE provides Carbon Removal Credit buyers with confidence in the source and co-benefits of their credits while helping Releaf identify optimal locations for its biochar production facilities.
This tool is critical, as the bulk of food processing costs are driven by location and logistics, making strategic placement essential for scalability.
SITE leverages robust data and actionable insights to:
- Ensure transparency in the supply chain for Carbon Removal Credit buyers, verifying the origin and environmental benefits of credits.
- Aid in selecting optimal locations for biochar projects by analysing environmental and logistical factors.
Source: Releaf
Key Features of SITE
SITE’s comprehensive features make it a cornerstone of Releaf’s operations:
- Location Intelligence: Provides insights into sustainable feedstock and Biochar production areas, ensuring environmentally and economically viable operations.
- Crop Density Analysis: Optimises raw material sourcing by identifying areas with high crop concentration, reducing transportation costs.
- Road Network Evaluation: Assesses transportation infrastructure to streamline logistics and enhance efficiency.
- Crop Species Identification: Pinpoints regions where crop species align with Releaf’s processing needs, particularly for biochar production.
- Regional Weather Pattern Assessment: Analyses climate data to select locations with optimal conditions for crop yield.
- Soil Data Insights: Identifies high-yield zones based on soil quality, maximising biochar’s impact on soil health and carbon sequestration.
- Environmental Compliance: Ensures operations adhere to environmental regulations, minimising ecosystem impact and protecting Africa’s natural resources.
- Supplier and Value Chain Analysis: Measures distances to supplier hotspots, evaluates supplier capacity, and analyses value chains to optimise factory locations.
- Data-Driven Insights: Powered by the ArcGIS Platform, Real-Time Market Intelligence, and an On-the-Ground Scout Network, SITE delivers vast and accurate datasets for informed decision-making.
SITE complements Kraken by ensuring that raw materials are sourced from optimal locations, enhancing the sustainability and profitability of Releaf’s projects. With geospatial intelligence, Releaf can scale biochar production efficiently across Africa, identifying high-potential areas for expansion. This data-driven approach supports Releaf’s vision to industrialise African agriculture while creating economic opportunities for rural communities.
Releaf’s Biochar
Releaf prides themselves as Nigeria’s first industrial biochar producers. They leverage the abundant biomass in Africa in a decentralised system to produce high-quality biochar that serves multiple purposes, including:
- Carbon Sequestration: Biochar locks carbon in soil for hundreds to thousands of years and accounted for 94% of carbon removals in 2023, according to reports, making it a highly scalable solution.
- Soil Enhancement: Biochar improves water retention, nutrient availability, and soil structure, leading to higher crop yields.
- Economic Opportunities: Biochar reduces fertiliser costs, creates jobs, and generates carbon credit revenues for farmers.
Releaf’s biochar is produced sustainably, using small solar kits for energy independence and sourcing materials from smallholder farmers and agro-processors.
Sustainability at the Core
Releaf Earth’s approach to sustainability is multifaceted. The company empowers farmers without requiring land ownership or monocropping, preserving biodiversity and reducing environmental degradation. Then they purchase directly from smallholder farmers to reduce post-harvest loss, improve harvesting efficiency, and shelf life to help farmers minimise waste and increase revenue.
Releaf also addresses Africa’s growing food demand responsibly. Unlike large-scale land takeovers or harmful monocultures, the company leverages naturally occurring wild palm trees. Oil palm, which produces up to eight times more oil per hectare than other leading crops, is a key focus. Its by-products support diverse industries, from food and cosmetics to biofuels and industrial chemicals, creating a robust economic ecosystem.
Community Empowerment
Releaf’s commitment to communities is evident in its operations. The company employs 80% of its labor force from the communities it serves, allowing it to contribute to rural economic development. Its facilities create jobs in production, sales, distribution, and agricultural extension services. Farmers benefit from stable, year-round income, higher yields through Premium Biochar, and training in sustainable land management practices.
Releaf’s Sourcing application allows farmers to update inventory, pricing, and volume via a USSD code, streamlining the supply chain. The company also provides training on land preparation, planting, and climate-resilient practices, building long-term sustainability for farming communities.
Nigeria’s First Biochar Facility
In May 2025, Releaf Earth launched Nigeria’s first industrial biochar production facility in Iwuru, Cross River State. This facility is a significant milestone, capable of removing 40,000-60,000 tons of CO₂e by 2030, with plans to scale to 100,000 tons through additional sites, according to Business Africa Online.
The facility leverages Kraken to process palm nuts and generate waste for biochar production. A 2024 pilot in Cross River State demonstrated a 23-25% increase in agricultural yields, reinforcing biochar’s potential to transform farming. Releaf projects a 50% income boost for local farmers through higher yields and carbon credit revenues, certified via the Riverse registry for transparency and traceability.
The initiative has attracted attention from prominent backers, including Y Combinator, Breakthrough Energy, AirMiners, and Angaza Capital. Releaf was also named a finalist in an Africa-based accelerator program, underscoring its growing influence.
The Team Behind the Vision
Releaf Earth’s 14-member team brings diverse expertise in supply chain, agronomy, agro-industry, hardware and software engineering, and operations. Key leaders include:
- Ikenna Nzewi, Chief Executive Officer, driving the company’s strategic vision.
- Uzoma Ayogu, Chief Technology Officer, overseeing Kraken and other innovations.
- Isaiah Udotong, Chief Sustainability Officer, ensuring environmental integrity.
- Jennifer Umana, Research and Development Lead, advancing biochar technology.
With 100 employees based in Lagos, Nigeria, the team is united by a commitment to building climate resilience for smallholder farmers.
Future Plans and Global Impact
By 2026, Releaf plans to expand its focus to include maize and cassava, broadening its agricultural impact. It aims to scale biochar production to meet global carbon removal goals, which require a 14,000-fold increase to reach 10 billion tons annually in the next 25 years. Africa’s abundant biomass and affordable labour make it a prime candidate to lead this effort.
Releaf’s integration of biochar production with food processing creates an efficient, scalable model for climate solutions. As CEO Ikenna Nzewi stated, “Africa has natural advantages to lead carbon removal globally. We’re proving commercial viability first and then enabling other processors to do the same.” This vision positions Releaf as a trailblazer in both African agritech and global climate innovation.
Conclusion
Based on current progress and future projections, Releaf is at the forefront of helping Africa meet global carbon reduction goals powered by abundant biomass in the continent.