Fighting back against land lost amidst a Citrus Crisis

Florida’s farms, especially citrus groves, are disappearing fast. Stretching across over 900,000 acres in the 1970s, citrus now covers just 375,000 acres. Much of that lost land has turned into subdivisions and apartment complexes, trading the scent of orange blossoms along with Florida’s identity. But for many growers, the decision to sell is not easy, it is driven by crop disease, hurricanes, and falling profits.

At Biotech Applied Research (BAR), we believe farmers shouldn’t have to give up their land to survive. Instead of walking away, they can rebuild the soil, store carbon in it, and prepare for a stronger future. Through biochar and soil restoration, we help Florida growers heal degraded groves and give the land new life.

Why Does It Matter to Keep Land in Farming?

Citrus farming has shaped Florida for generations; building towns, creating jobs, and making the state famous for its sweet fruit. Today, many of those groves are at risk, once trees are cleared and homes are built, farmland is gone for good. What’s left is a drastically different landscape of environmental, cultural, and economic loss. 

Florida has received over 420,000 new residents in the past year offering builders the opportunity to target cheap agricultural land. Struggling farmers are easily incentivised to sell land to land developers for the increased profits that may cover their debts. Despite the initial benefits, this land conversion from agriculture to reality comes with many unseen harms.

Converting farmland to concrete carries big costs; raising temperatures, worsening flood vulnerability, and erasing Florida’s rural culture. Citrus groves used to perfume the air, spread out across bast plains of awe-inspiring landscapes, and support rural Florida communities holding on to their roots of simple living. Urban sprawl is quickly replacing this way of life for many communities, leaving a soulless over-saturated landscape with reduced habitation for nature

Keeping land in farming protects food production, supports rural jobs, and honors a legacy that built Florida. It also secures land that, with the right care, can grow crops for generations to come.

From Waste to Revival: How Biochar is Transforming Florida's Citrus Groves

Along with the thousands of citrus acres shutting down each year comes the surplus of citrus wood waste. Traditionally, this waste is burned in open air, contributing to air pollution and carbon emissions, however; a sustainable alternative exists.

Biotech Applied Research (BAR) offers a groundbreaking solution: mobile biochar production units that allow growers to convert biomass into valuable soil amendments directly on-site. This eliminates the need for hauling waste and prevents air pollution, creating a circular system where waste becomes a tool for environmental restoration. 

When land is depleted or abandoned, its soil loses vital nutrients, structure, and the ability to retain water, making farming costly and difficult. This is where biochar offers a powerful remedy. Biochar is produced by heating wood or crop waste in a low-oxygen environment. This process locks carbon into a stable form, creating a highly porous material that acts like a sponge in the soil. It improves water retention, nourishes beneficial microbes, and reduces fertilizer runoff. Biochar remains in the ground for centuries, consistently boosting natural soil fertility.

With biochar, farmers can achieve:

• Improved water retention and reduced runoff

• Stronger crop roots and increased yields

• Restored soil life and structure

• Long-term carbon sequestration in the soil

• Lasting value for their land

Instead of succumbing to the challenges of production loss and debt, growers can naturally and sustainably rejuvenate their land, ensuring its productivity for generations to come.

How Storing Carbon in the Soil Adds Long-Term Value

Unlike fertilizers that wash away after each season, biochar stays put. It holds 50 to 80 percent of its original carbon in the soil for decades. That means healthier soil year after year, without as many inputs. Research from the University of Florida highlights biochar's effectiveness in improving soil health and crop yields, particularly in the sandy soils prevalent in Central and South Florida. Beyond agricultural benefits, biochar helps soil sequester carbon, combating climate change while enhancing farm resilience.

Soil with high carbon stores more water, resists erosion, and supports stronger root systems. It also becomes more resistant to Florida’s challenges of heat, flooding, and drought. Instead of focusing on short-term profits, biochar helps farms invest in permanent land value.

That value is more than financial. Land rich in organic matter grows more food with fewer chemicals. It supports wildlife and pollinators. And it gives farmers a sense of security that the ground they work today will still be productive tomorrow. Replacing Florida’s groves with housing may bring tax dollars and construction jobs, but it cannot bring back farmland once it's gone. Soil carbon storage offers a different path, one that protects land and the culture that comes with it.

The Big Picture: Restore Soil, Protect Culture, Build Value

Florida’s citrus acreage has dropped by nearly two-thirds since the 1970s, with many groves being replaced by dense subdivisions and apartment complexes. The constant damage of citrus greening, hurricanes, drought, and economic pressure has brought heavy consequences; vanishing rural identity, fewer farming jobs, and higher environmental stress.

BAR is offering a way forward, by restoring soil with biochar and regenerative practices, landowners can:

• Improve yields and reduce costs

• Store carbon and build resilience

• Preserve Florida’s agricultural legacy

• Protect land from being lost to development

At Biotech Applied Research (BAR), we are building real solutions with Florida’s growers, not paving over the problem. If you care about protecting farmland, strengthening food systems, and honoring Florida’s rural roots you can learn more about how to get involved today. Let’s keep Florida growing, together.

• Use BAR Biochar to Rebuild Soil and Protect Your Land: Apply Biochar to your groves or fields to improve yields, boost soil health, and make your land more resilient to Florida’s changing climate.

• Need help to revitalize your land? Reach out to BAR's Experts: Work with our team to apply biochar on-site and increase your land’s long-term value by restoring soil and locking carbon into the ground.

• Support BAR’s Mission to Save Florida’s Agricultural Future: Your donation helps us protect working lands from development, restore rural ecosystems, and preserve Florida’s farming heritage for the next generation.