Not all biofuel is bad for the country

We refer to recent articles on agrofuels in Tanzania (“Rice farmers may be evicted by new biofuells,” and “Public fury halts biofuel onslaught on farmers, ” The EastAfrican September 28-October 4 and October 5-12, respectively).

However, not all agrofuels are created equal.

Oil palm and sugarcane require well-watered fertile soil; but many farmers grow jatropha in worse conditions around fields and homes.

In addition to providing oilseeds, jatropha hedges protect crops from animals, reduce soil erosion and serve as demarcations.

We do not have to sacrifice farmers or farmlands to produce a lot of agrofuel.

Hedges around the fields of a typical smallholder farm produce 1,500 kg to 2,000 kg of jatropha seed that yield about 350 litres of oil.

If 2.5 million families cultivate jatropha hedges, it would yield 875 million litres of oil, equal to the estimated national demand for biodiesel. In other words, household hedges can make Tanzania self sufficient in biodiesel.

A new project in semi-arid areas of north-central Tanzania works with 30,000 farmers to produce and market jatropha, and promote its use in soap making and lamps.

Field testing is underway for a simple cook stove that burns jatropha seeds by gasification.

This renewable energy source costs less than charcoal, produces less air pollution and does not cause deforestation.

It is not a choice between food and fuel. We need both. Eva Kassara, Jonathan Otto

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