System Logic

bioCOMPOST is based on a circular landscape model in which rice straw is collected from farms, processed into compost, and returned to agricultural soils within the same regional production system.

The system begins with rice straw collection from participating farms, followed by baling, field aggregation, transport to the hub, and controlled compost production. At the hub, straw is weighed, recorded, and blended with selected organic inputs and biological additives where required to meet compost quality standards.

Compost is then distributed back to participating farmers, particularly those transitioning toward organic rice cultivation and improved soil management practices. Soil testing and field monitoring are integrated into the program to assess changes in soil health over time.

This closed-loop system is designed to reduce straw burning, improve soil organic matter, strengthen farmer participation, and create a practical pathway toward regenerative rice landscapes.

Impact Logic

The pilot is designed to generate measurable environmental, agricultural, and social outcomes.

At the environmental level, the program aims to reduce open burning of rice straw and improve the return of organic matter to the soil. At the agricultural level, the program supports better soil structure, improved nutrient cycling, and more resilient rice production systems. At the community level, the pilot strengthens collaboration between farmers, local groups, and implementation partners through shared biomass management and compost utilization.

The long-term impact pathway is structured as follows:

rice straw recovery → compost production → soil improvement → farmer transition → regenerative rice landscapes

The pilot is therefore not only a compost project, but also a practical transition model for circular biomass management in rice-growing regions.

MRV Readiness

bioCOMPOST is being designed with a primary digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system from the beginning of the pilot.

The MRV system is intended to support traceability across the full implementation chain, including:

• farmer and plot registration

• bale-level straw tracking

• inbound weighing records

• purchased organic inputs and additives

• compost batch formulation

• process monitoring for windrows

• quality testing and certification support

• compost distribution records

• soil testing and field-level impact tracking

This digital readiness allows the pilot to generate credible operational data, improve management decisions, and build a foundation for future scale-up, certification, and broader regenerative agriculture platforms.

Diagram Introduction

The diagram below illustrates the circular biomass flow of the bioCOMPOST pilot.

It shows how rice straw is collected from farms, transported to the Compost and Biomass Hub, processed through controlled composting, and returned to agricultural land as organic compost. The diagram also reflects the role of farmer participation, soil improvement, and digital monitoring in the overall pilot model.

This visual framework is intended to communicate the pilot as an integrated landscape system rather than a stand-alone compost facility.

Compost Hub / Integrated Hub Description

The first pilot hub is designed as an integrated operational site combining biomass receiving, bale storage, compost production, quality monitoring, and compost dispatch.

The site includes:

• bale intake and weighing area

• covered straw storage zones

• segregated storage for organic input materials

• compost windrow area

• curing and screening area

• finished compost storage

• farmer training space

• soil and quality testing support area

The hub is intended to function both as a production facility and as a demonstration site for circular biomass management in rice landscapes.

Soil Testing Support

for Participating Farmers

The pilot includes a soil testing support package for participating farmers who are transitioning toward organic rice cultivation.

The program is designed to cover the cost of baseline and follow-up soil testing during the pilot phase. This allows farmers to understand their current soil condition and helps the project monitor how compost application may improve soil organic matter and overall soil health over time.

Soil testing is therefore treated as a core implementation component of the farmer transition process.

Section 1 – Farmer & Landscape Module

Farmer Registry

- Total participating farmers

- New farmers this month

- Organic-transition farmers

- Farmers by district / village

Landscape Coverage

- Total registered rai

- Active plots

- Plots receiving compost

- Map of participating areas

Database

• Total farmers

• Organic transition farmers

• Total plots

• Total rai covered

Section 2 – Straw Collection Module

Straw Collection Summary

• Total bales received

• Total bale weight

• Average bale weight

• Average bale moisture

• Daily bale intake

• Collection by source village / cluster

Data Table

Date Bales Received Weight (kg) Avg Moisture Source Area

10 Mar 48 28,920 17.5% Cluster A

11 Mar 51 30,640 18.2% Cluster B

Graph Diagram

• Daily bale intake

• Monthly biomass intake

• Moisture distribution

Section 3 – Purchased Inputs Module

Purchased Organic Inputs

• Dry cattle manure

• Dry dairy cow manure

• Dry buffalo manure

• Dry chicken manure

• EM solutions by type

• Other additives

Database

• Total manure purchased

• Total manure in stock

• Total manure used in production

• EM purchased

• EM used by batch

Data Table

Material Purchased In Stock Used in Batch Unit

Dry cattle manure 22,000 8,500 13,500 kg

Dry dairy manure 14,000 4,200 9,800 kg

Dry buffalo manure 8,000 3,100 4,900 kg

Dry chicken manure 11,500 2,800 8,700 kg

EM - A 1,200 250 950 liter

Section 4 – Inventory Module

Inventory Overview

• Straw stock by lot

• Bale storage zone status

• Manure stock by type

• EM stock by type

• FIFO release status

Database

• bale stock by storage bay

• number of days in storage

• stock ageing alert

• covered / uncovered status

• inventory balance by material type

Section 5 – Compost Production Module

Compost Production

• Active windrows

• Batch recipes

• Batch start / end dates

• Turning frequency

• Moisture trend

• Temperature trend

Database

• Active batches

• Biomass input to batches

• Compost in curing

• Finished compost ready

• Average composting duration
  
  

Data Table

Batch ID Windrow Start Date Straw Input Manure Input EM Status

B-2401 WR-03 05 Mar 25 t 4.5 t 120 L Active

B-2402 WR-04 06 Mar 24 t 5.0 t 100 L Active

Section 6 – Quality & Certification Module

Quality Monitoring

• Lab test results by batch

• Organic matter

• pH

• Moisture

• NPK

• C/N ratio

• Pass / review / fail status

Database

• Tested batches

• Passed batches

• Pending tests

• Batches under review
  
  

Graph Diagram

• OM % by batch

• Moisture % by batch

• Pass rate over time

Section 7 – Compost Distribution Module

Compost Distribution

• Total compost delivered

• Farmers receiving compost

• Compost by district / village

• Compost by crop type / use case

Data Table

Farmer Plot Compost Qty Date Purpose

Farmer A P-012 2.0 t 15 Jun Organic rice

Farmer B P-074 1.5 t 16 Jun Soil improvement

Section 8 – Soil Testing Module

Soil Testing & Soil Improvement

• Baseline tests completed

• Follow-up tests completed

• Organic matter improvement

• pH changes

• Soil carbon trend

Database

• Baseline tests

• Follow-up tests

• Average OM %

• Average OM change

• Average soil carbon change
  
  

Data Table

Plot ID Baseline OM Follow-up OM Change Status

P-012 1.20% 1.55% +0.35% Improved

P-074 0.95% 1.18% +0.23% Improved

Section 9 – Management Alerts

Management Alerts

• High moisture bales

• Over-aged straw stock

• Low EM stock

• Batch temperature deviation

• Pending lab results

• Soil tests overdue

Section 10 – Executive Summary Dashboard

Executive Snapshot

• Farmers engaged

• Rai covered

• Straw collected

• Compost produced

• Compost distributed

• Batches passed quality criteria

• Soil tests completed

• Organic-transition farmers supported

Financial Sustainability Overview

The financial model of the bioCOMPOST pilot combines three complementary market segments:

• compost supplied to farmers transitioning toward organic agriculture
• compost sold to agro-industrial users such as cassava processors
• value-added bagged compost sold through local agricultural markets

This diversified market structure allows the system to balance social objectives and financial resilience.

Market Allocation Model

The compost produced by the district compost hub is distributed across three primary market segments.

Market Segment Share

Farmers transitioning to organic agriculture 40%

Agro-industrial users (cassava processors) 40%

Bagged compost retail markets 20%

This allocation ensures that farmers remain the primary beneficiaries of the program while allowing industrial and retail markets to support financial sustainability.

Operational Capacity

The financial projection is based on the operational configuration of a single district compost hub.

Parameter Value

Annual compost production 3,850 tons

Windrow compost rows 24 rows

Operating schedule 5 days per week

Feedstock rice straw and livestock manure

Annual operating expenditure ~9.2 million THB

The compost hub reaches full operational capacity beginning in Year 2 after pilot establishment.

Financial Projection Framework

To illustrate the financial outlook of the system, three scenarios have been developed.

These scenarios reflect different levels of market development and price evolution.

1. Conservative scenario

2. Basic scenario

3. Optimistic scenario

All scenarios maintain the same operational capacity and market allocation structure.

Conservative Scenario

This scenario assumes minimal price changes over time and represents a highly cautious financial outlook.

Segment Price

Farmers 2,200 THB/t

Cassava processors 2,400 THB/t

Bagged compost 3,000 THB/t

Estimated annual revenue: ≈ 9.39 million THB

Estimated annual profit: ≈ 0.19 million THB

Under this scenario the compost hub operates close to break-even while continuing to deliver environmental and agricultural benefits.

Basic Scenario

The basic scenario reflects moderate market development and gradual price adjustments over time.

Period Farmers Cassava Bagged

Years 1-3 2,200 2,400 3,000

Years 4-6 2,300 2,500 3,200

Years 7-10 2,400 2,600 3,400

Years 11-15 2,500 2,700 3,600

Under this scenario:

Annual profit gradually increases as the compost market matures.

Payback of the initial capital investment is expected around:  Year 12

Optimistic Scenario

The optimistic scenario assumes strong adoption of organic agriculture and growing demand for high-quality compost products.

Period Farmers Cassava Bagged

Years 1-3 2,200 2,400 3,200

Years 4-6 2,400 2,600 3,600

Years 7-10 2,600 2,800 4,000

Years 11-15 2,800 3,000 4,500

Under this scenario:

Annual profits increase significantly as compost markets expand.

The initial capital investment could be recovered around:  Year 7

Long-Term Financial Outlook

The financial projections demonstrate that the bioCOMPOST pilot can evolve from a grant-supported demonstration project into a financially sustainable regenerative agriculture platform.

The diversified market structure ensures that the compost hub can support farmer transition while gradually strengthening its financial performance.

Long-term Benefits

Beyond financial returns, the bioCOMPOST system generates multiple long-term benefits:

• reduction of open-field burning of crop residues
• improvement of soil organic matter and soil fertility
• support for farmers transitioning toward organic agriculture
• development of local circular biomass economies

These impacts contribute to climate mitigation, rural livelihoods, and sustainable agricultural landscapes.

Long-term Impact

The bioCOMPOST pilot demonstrates that soil regeneration and circular biomass management can become financially viable over time while maintaining strong social and environmental impact.

With the support of development partners and local stakeholders, the model can be replicated across multiple agricultural districts.