In Kenya, Herders Turn an Invasive Cactus into Biofuel
by Robert Kibet (Deutsch Welle) The prickly pear cactus has taken over thousands of hectares of grazing land in arid parts of Kenya. Now herders, NGOs and scientists are teaming up to fight back against the prickly menance that’s deadly to livestock.
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The invasive Opuntia stricta, or prickly pear, was reportedly introduced to Kenya by British colonialists as an ornamental plant. It thrives in arid conditions, aggressively choking grasses and other shrubs. Over the past half century, as temperatures and dry spells have increased, it’s become a serious problem for herders like (Jackson) Mukorino.
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On the Makurian ranch, residents have been desperately trying to eradicate the plant by manually uprooting and burying them. Women living on the ranch are at the forefront of the work, which is voluntary but the ranchers pay a token amount of 50 US cents (€0.45) for an hour’s work. But volunteer Celine Kisio says it’s not about the money.
“The small token we get as participants in this voluntary work is not an issue for us. We are committed to eradicating this plant,” Kisio told DW.
Yet Francis Merenyi, a local environmental science graduate believes eradicating the plant can also be a business opportunity for women like Kisio.
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From pest to fuel
Merenyi is testing a system on the Makurian ranch that turns some 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of cacti into biogas every two weeks. The gas is stored in tanks and used for cooking, while waste sludge can be used as fertilizer on kitchen gardens.
Merenyi hopes to bring the scheme to households and schools in the area and is training eight womens’ groups to use the system with the help of aid organization World Vision.
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Elizabeth Nkasiogi, one of the women receiving training, would usually spend much of her day collecting firewood. Biogas therefore reduces pressure on forests, as well as freeing up her time to spend growing food or making beads to sell at local markets.
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Still, financing the expansion of the scheme could be a problem. Although the installation price of US $1,000 is just half the cost of a conventional biogas system, it is still out of reach for many pastoralists, says John Letai, deputy director of environment and natural resource for Laikipia County. READ MORE
HOW TO MAKE BIOFUEL FROM CACTUS (Farmers.co.ke)
