Assessing the potential of bio-energy production in smallholder farming systems. The case of Nhambita community, Gorongosa District, Sofala Province

Mar 2010

This report provides insight in the potential of bio-energy production and application within smallholder farming system in Mozambique. Analysts see Mozambique as a promising country for biomass production for bioenergy purposes. The recently approved National Biofuel Policy and Strategy (Government
of Mozambique, 2009) indicates that the Mozambican government promotes bio-energy production to diversify the countrycs energy matrix, as well as to stimulate social and economic development, specifically in the rural areas. The National Biofuel Policy and Strategy supports both commercial large-scale, and small-scale bioenergy production. However, few initiatives focusing on bio-energy production within smallholder farming system exist in Mozambique apart from some commercially driven pilot projects. Due to the absence of markets and a lack of elessons learnedc, the off take of smallholder bio-energy production seems to be slow down even further. With this report, the authors hope to provide some lessons learned in this area.
Worldwide, 1.6 billion people lack access to electricity and over two billion still rely on traditional biomass for their everyday cooking and heating needs. Mozambique is well confronted with this reality, as its electricity system serves about five percent of the countrycs population. The growing bio-energy industry is believed to provide opportunities for improving energy access in rural areas. Given that 85% of the Mozambican rural population are subsistence farmers, the involvement of smallholders in the promising bio-energy sector can contribute on the one hand to rural development and on the other hand to energy access for rural populations.
To gain more insight in how bio-energy production could play a role within smallholders farming systems, the Ministry of Energy, in collaboration with the Programme for Basic Energy and Conservation implemented by the German Technical Development Cooperation (GTZ-PROBEC), has initiated and financed this study. The overall objective of this study is to explore opportunities for, bio-energy production within smallholder farming systems. This will hopefully contribute to a broader understanding of the complexities of smallholder farming systems and the potential of bio-energy use and production in Mozambique.
In order to achieve this objective, an assessment of market opportunities for Jatropha production in existing smallholder farming systems has been conducted by a team of researchers and specialists. The case study was selected in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, taking into account the established link between the Ministry of Energy and the community, as well as the communitiesc willingness to participate in the study. Nhambita community in Gorongosa district, Sofala Province is one of the few examples where smallholder farmers are involved in Jatropha production. The community started growing Jatropha in 2004 with support from Envirotrade. Envirotrade is an UK based company that initiated a reforestation project in Nhambita community through the sale of CO2 offsets. As the production of Jatropha seeds initially seemed very promising, the National Directorate for Renewable Energy (DNER) granted a loan to Envirotrade consisting of an oil seed press running on diesel, to be used by the community. For this reason, the Ministry of Energy suggested the Nhambita community as an interesting location to carry out the assessment.

By: S. Bos, W. Leonardo, A. Lerner, M.L.W. Schut

 
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