# What is bokashi? Below is why Savimbo recommends and uses bokashi. We originally learned it from the soil scientist [Lexie Amisacho](/practice-guide/community/field-schools.md#amisacho-lab-in-ecuador). But in general, what we learned, and use is a Latin American adaptation of a Japanese technique with a Japanese name. The word stays Japanese. The compost is half-naturalized. We've also incorporated some recipes for "jungle teas" from local matriarchs who have a reputation for growing plants regionally with high survival rates. We recommend this approach for [iterative local testing](/practice-guide/iteration/what-is-a-b-testing.md). {% embed url="" %} ### Basic characteristics What makes bokashi and not compost is that it is fermented anaerobically. It also has an innoculant (we're introducing beneficial live microorganisms to the cultivation. It takes about 2-3 weeks to ferment and the temperature is a bit lower, \~40-50 °C. It has an acidic pH 3.5-4.5 and the end state is fermented, not decomposed so it smells sweet sour (like silage) if it smells like sulfur or ammonia the batch has failed. The ratio for substrate is high, high C carrier (rice hulls, coffee husks, bagasse) + N source (manure, fish) + molasses (microbe food) + water to \~50% ### Notes * It's not uncommon to find bokashi spelled differently in Spanish field literature as *bocashi* or even *bocachi.* * Colombian and Peruvian recipes routinely incorporate 10–30% biochar. It loads the char with microbes and nutrients *before* it goes in the soil so that the biochar is full like a sponge, and doesn't soak up nutrients from the soil. * Andean adaptations commonly have additions of rock-dust and ash for mineral content. * We use local jungle teas and microorganisms gathered for free, captured from primary forest litter. This avoids paying for imported microorganisms from the Higa-Sangakkara lineage and means farmers can self-replicate. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://sexytrees.savimbo.com/practice-guide/bokashi/what-is-bokashi.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.