Participants from all areas attended, representing research bodies, private companies (even TOTAL), governments agencies, NGOs, projects of all shapes and sizes, more or less advanced, virtual, public, private …

 Once again, the farmers’ organisations had not been invited, although they are the front runners of this new field – to be called agrifuels, rather than biofuels, as it is produced by agriculture. To discuss, at such a forum, a new opening for agriculture, without the presence of the farmers themselves, puts the scope of such a conference in a somewhat dimmer light.

 Now that the price of crude oil creeps closer to 100$ a barrel and there are rumours of production having reached its peak, the search for renewable energy turns to “agrifuel”. Even before any legal and statutory framework is put in place, initiatives are mushrooming all over Africa.

 News bulletin 252 of abcBurkina referred to a new venture in Boni. There are actually two, that the dynamic mayor of Boni has managed to attract to his town. One is sponsored by the French NGO ICDES of Grenoble and concerns a multifunctional establishment to be managed by the town council, another is led by AGRITEC FASO (a company no yet well known) for the reproduction of Jathropa plant seeds and the setting up of tree nurseries, in order to extend cultivation all over Burkina. Thus Jathropa projects are already starting, Boni is followed by the Parish of Kombissi … and more are probably under way.

 More important is a study that the Burkina Government has commissioned from the CITEC (Dagris) on the processing of cotton seeds for agrifuel by a grinding and distilling plant for ethanol production. Burkina’s production capacity could reach up to 60.000 tonnes of seed oil for fuel, provided all other production and investment needs are met, which is yet far from being the case.

 Thus this international conference was an opportunity for many contacts and an exchange of information on all the new ventures that are being launched, in Mali, Niger, Benin, Burkina, none being excluded and the list will soon be longer!

 But, there is also a but. There are many problems in connection with this new enterprise and the conference was in a way a founding event for almost all parties concerned – except, sadly, the farmers.

 What was the bottom line?

 Participants appeared to find that industrial production of agrifuel in Africa is possible, numerous investors already gathering at the threshold of the continent. It could take off, provided that

-          the management of land remains in the hands of the local communities, as is the case with cotton cultivation in Burkina, where land tenure rests with the cotton company, the Cotton Farmers’ National Union, UNPCB and village associations. Therefore no land is to be handed over to multinationals. This would only accelerate rural exodus and exacerbate social conflict;

-          the production first of all benefits the producer country, both for fuel and power generation (electricity); at an initial stage production would not be export oriented, but designed to save on the national energy bill and restore the balance of payments, weighed down at present by the cost of oil imports;

-          the cultivation does not impinge on land areas earmarked for food crops, so that food sovereignty is not endangered;

 One particularly well documented contribution on the experience from Mali, raised doubts about the real “availability of land for the new fuel sector”. Great caution is necessary to avoid turning ethanol into “lethanol” – a deathly weapon instead of a fuel bonanza, although such a fear was never expressed during the conference. It would be unacceptable to have the poorest countries labour, only to fill the fuel tanks of the richest, thereby foregoing their own needs for food crops. We must watch out!

 Production for local needs

-          should be a priority, as is the case at present inNiger and Mali, but which failed in Madagascar. Without putting too fine a point on the importance of
technical aspects, much still remains to be done inorder to really master the practicalities ofcultivating the new breed. The Jathropa plant isfor example highly vulnerable to termite attacks; itcan grow on meagre soil, but will not yield much; ithas been used for hedges, but little is known of its
reaction to being grown in market gardens, and even less on industrial plots;

-      should be carried out on relatively small areas, so as not to invade food crops. The first results and benefits are not yet conclusive and if a learning-by-doing process is necessary, the risks must not outdo the potential benefits for farmers;

-        should be in projects run by local communities, so that it is the producers, the consumers and the target groups that will have control, which is a prerequisite for success;

-          should be considered primarily to meet local energy needs : access to electricity through the installation of power generators to run a mill, a husking plant, lights for maternity wards and for homes to let school-children study in the evening, to operate refrigerators and meet other community needs.

 Problems are obviously not absent and two schools could be distinguished among participants:

 One said “Let us not hurry, nothing is really ready, let us continue tests, studies, analyses and let us set up research centres”. There are also technical issues to be fine-tuned, i.e. the type of presses needed for efficient oil extraction. The environmental and cultural impact of such changes are not yet under control, the legal and statutory framework is sometimes non existent. It will be difficult to embark on large scale projects under such conditions.

 And watch out! Over the past 30 years the acreage for food crops has more than doubled (2.5 times) as a result of population pressure, but yields have in fact not increased. In 10 to 15 years time, cultivated land must once again be doubled to cover food needs, if yields remain the same. What will then be left for agrifuels? Or, put in a different way, can African farmers increase their yields with the means at their disposal?

 The other group said: There is a new opportunity and Africa must not miss the train this time! It could provide a higher level of energy independence. We must jump on new projects already under control, such as the use of cotton seeds in Burkina or the substitution of sunflower for groundnuts in Senegal. And short, medium and long term strategies must be worked out. On the African continent sunshine and biomass are so abundant, that one may only wish to see them put to good use as soon as possible … This could be the case, if in addition to all the participants at the conference, the farmers would also be part of the process and find a fair share from it.

Father Jacques Lacour
Koudougou, 4 December 2007
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