(Project Gaia) Project Gaia, Inc., a U.S. non profit with operations in East Africa, is working with the UNHCR and others to bring relief to refugees from the Horn of Africa Famine in a very immediate way—cooking. Project Gaia promotes alcohol
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) The African CleanTech Association launched Oct. 24 and, according to ACTA spokeswoman Suza Adam, the primary goal of the group is to assist in the development of African enterprises and technologies in the cleantech space
(Alternative Energy Africa) Foreign firms are increasing their interest in the biofuel sector resulting in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) being urged to implement policy and legal mechanisms to foster responsible investments. The World Wild Fund (WWF) for Nature discussed
(Reuters) A European Union target to promote the use of biofuels will accelerate global species loss because it encourages the conversion of pasture, savanna and forests into new cropland, EU scientists have warned. ...The scale of species loss in areas converted
(Netzwerk Biotriebstoffe News) Biofuel production is booming. Worldwide, production of ethanol for fuel has almost quintupled since 2000, while that of biodiesel has risen by almost 25 times. This is, in part, a response to policies to replace fossil fuels for
by John C.K. Daly (OilPrice.com/Clean Techies) ...According to PetroChina’s Petrochemical Research Institute deputy chief engineer Fu Xingguo, China is looking at generating 933,000 tons annually of fuel ethanol and 165,000 tons of biodiesel. According to Fu, China is looking to
by Graham von Maltitz, William Stafford (Center for International Forestry Research) Sustainable biofuel production should provide opportunities for sub-Saharan African countries and their inhabitants, especially in impoverished rural areas. Biofuel feedstock production has the potential to bring job opportunities
by Sulaimon Salau (The Guardian Nigeria) Renewable energy projects in West African sub-region are set for a new shift, as a Nigerian energy firm, Global Biofuels (in alliance with some Chinese and African firms) has unveiled plans to float
by Niki Moore (Bloomberg) Illovo Sugar Ltd. (ILV), Africa’s largest producer of the sweetener, plans to start making potable ethanol from molasses in Tanzania by 2013, Managing Director Graham Clark said. “We have created an opportunity in Tanzania to produce ethanol from
(Rainharvest) To achieve “win-win outcomes” for bio-energy, food security and poverty reduction, we must recognise that these outcomes are possible. This is what Prof Lee Lynd, of Dartmouth College and the Mascoma Corporation, told delegates during a seminar at Stellenbosch University,
(Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science) Biofuels have big boots to fill. After more than 150 years of using petroleum and its products we have become dependent on it. First generation biofuels are showing us both the potential and the
(Business Wire) Addax Bioenergy S.A. (“Addax Bioenergy”), a subsidiary of the Swiss-based energy group, The Addax and Oryx Group Limited (AOG), announced today the signing of a loan agreement with seven European and African development institutions for an integrated renewable
by Damian Carrington and Stefano Valentino (The Guardian) British firms have acquired more land in Africa for controversial biofuel plantations than companies from any other country, a Guardian investigation has revealed. Half of the 3.2m hectares (ha) of biofuel land identified –
(AllAfrica.com) Jatropha should not replace any crops in arable farms and instead should be cultivated by smallholder farmers as hedges for farms, an expert has warned. Pamoja Inc Co-Director Jonathan Otto said in Dar es Salaam recently that jatropha as a
by William McLennan (The Ecologist) Campaigners are outraged over airline Lufthansa and German government funding for jatropha biofuels trial The German government is financing a leading European airline’s biofuel trials despite claims from environmental groups it could cause emissions six time
(IITA) As the world grapples with the challenge of feeding an ever growing population in the face of dwindling natural resources confounded by climate change, findings from a recent research by IITA show that science-based farming methods integrating the systematic
(DailyMarkets/PR Newswire) Boeing and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) today announced the creation of the Sustainable Biomass Consortium, a research initiative focused on increasing collaboration between voluntary standards and regulatory requirements for biomass used to create jet fuel and
by Bård Amundsen/Else Lie. Translation: Darren McKellep/Carol B. Eckmann(The Research Council of Norway) Jatropha has been championed as a major environmental opportunity for developing countries with a semi-arid climate and marginal soil. Scientist Karl Hilding Thunes of the Norwegian Forest
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) The Cancun climate summit in Mexico kicked off last week at the same time as a “Cablegate” revelation that motorists buying fossil fuels at the pump are unwittingly funding terrorism in their own countries. The
by Nickolaus Bauer (Business Day) According to visiting deputy minister for foreign trade, Brazil also wants to strengthen overall trade relations with South Africa Brazil says its interested in buying agricultural land in Southern Africa to use as a source of
(International Business Times) Farmers in this iron-roof village in Sierra Leone say they didn't know what they were getting into when they leased their land for a biofuel crop they now fear threatens their food harvests. Addax Bioenergy, part of privately-owned Swiss
by Miyuki Iiyama and James Onchieku (SciDev) It sounds too good to be true: a biofuel crop that grows on semi-arid lands and degraded soils, replaces fossil fuels in developing countries and brings huge injections of cash to poor smallholders. That is what
by Beatrice Philamon (IPP Media) Tanzanian and Brazilian experts are expected to carry out a countrywide survey to identify and propose strategic areas that would be allocated for biofuel farming. “Our intention is to have special areas or land that will be
by Joseph Bonyo (Daily Nation) ...The plant that is expected to produce about 22 million litres of ethanol a year will be the latest addition to the firm’s portfolio. According to the company, the ethanol will be targeted for sale within
by Eric Ombok (Bloomberg) Mumias Sugar Co., Kenya’s largest producer of the sweetener, secured a 1.6 billion-shilling ($20 million) loan for its ethanol plant to be commissioned next year, the Daily Nation reported. A group of banks led by Ecobank
(Friends of the Earth International) The African continent is increasingly being seen as a source of agricultural land and natural resources for the rest of the world. National governments and private companies are obtaining access to land across the continent
(Nehanda Radio) ...Zimbabwe Reporter said Al-Saadi Al-Gaddafi was negotiating with Zimbabwean officials on the feasibility of establishing an ethanol-powered fuel plant in the country's Masvingo Province. ...The sugar was previously produced by Triangle Limited... READ MORE
by Thompson Ayodele (Initiative for Public Policy Analysis) Forward by Dr. Matthew O. Eshalomi: Growth and prosperity of an economy are central to the longterm reduction in poverty for both economic and environmental sustainability. Palm oil and palm oil manufacturing represents
by Opheera McDoom (Reuters) Sudan has secured funding for a new 140,000 tonne sugar factory which will also produce 30 million litres of ethanol by November 2014, in the latest step to gear the African nation's sugar industry towards export. Executive Director
by Katie Allen (The Guardian) It is not too late for equitable partnerships to flourish between foreign investors and local communities ...Sadly for anyone who happens to live on that farmland there are countless examples of governments handing it over at
by Katie Allen (The Guardian) Leaked report says wealthy investors are threatening local resources as they buy up farmland to gain on commodity prices A leaked World Bank report into investors from rich nations buying up African farmland has intensified campaigners'
(EurekAlert) Policies needed to address potential conflicts, but report views bioenergy as crucial to 'unlocking Africa's latent potential'. Crops can be produced for bioenergy on a significant scale in west, eastern and southern Africa without doing damage to food production or
by Andrew Willis (Bloomberg Businessweek) EU and Brazilian leaders are set to announce a new "triangular co-operation" initiative, under which they will aim to work together in some of the world's poorest countries, but NGOs say the duo's scheme is self-centred
(China Economic Net) A huge potential for producing biofuels is expected in Tanzania without hampering the cultivation of food crops, according to a new study. Conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently, the study observed that the country's
(Alternative Energy Africa) Stellenbosch Biomass Technologies (SBMT) has been officially launched in Sandton, South Africa holding the rights to commercialize and adapt the latest conversion technology developed by US-based Mascoma Technologies. Mascoma is rated one of the top 10 most innovative companies
(Environment-Expert.com) VEPOWER Limited has entered into an exclusivity agreement with Jatropha Africa with the goal of financing the Company’s 50,000 hectare plantation in Ghana, West Africa. VEPOWER will thus secure more than 40,000 tonnes of crude bio-fuel. ...The plantation in Ghana
by Lorraine Mandebvu (All Africa) Traditional leaders have embraced the US$600 million Chisumbanje ethanol project which they believe will bring much-needed development to the area. Speaking at a meeting of traditional leaders with Arda officials last weekend, Chief Tobias Hliziyo Garawa said the
by Michael Dynes (The New Economy) Of the billions of dollars that have been ploughed into the biofuel sector around the world over the past decade, only a tiny fraction has ever found its way to Africa. That is now
(AllAfrica) A planned biofuel project in Magarini District (Kenya) has put Malindi County Council and ecologists on a collision course. This follows a request by the National Environment Management Authority for residents' views on the project, which requires 50,000 acres to
(Biofuels International) LL Biofuels Namibia is set to produce its own biodiesel after signing an agreement that will see the cultivation of jatropha on 300,000 hectares of land located in the north-eastern Caprivi Region, Namibia. The 20-year deal between LL Biofuels
by John Vidal (The Guardian; The Observer) ...The farm manager shows us millions of tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables being grown in 500m rows in computer controlled conditions. Spanish engineers are building the steel structure, Dutch technology minimises water use from two
by Robert Ndong, Mireille Montrejaud-Vignoles, Oliver Saint Girons, Benoit Gabrielle, Roland Pirot, marjorie Domergue and Caroline Sablayrolles (Global Change Biology Bioenergy) In recent years, liquid biofuels for transport have benefited from significant political support due to their potential role in curbing
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