AGROED to launch bioenergy projects to benefit African development

Producing bioenergy while contributing towards development in poor countries - this is the first goal of a new French company created by French syndicalists (farm union leaders) and supported by the French Agency for Development Cooperation. Agro Energy Development (AGROED) wants to introduce the culture of jatropha in an attempt to generate a virtuous cycle of local development while satisfying increasing energy needs of African countries. AGROED will begin its activites in Mali and Burkina Faso. Its aim: to produce both biofuels for transport and to generate electricity from the same plant.

The firm's key words are 'development over profit' and 'sustainable local development'. AGROED was created in 2007 and already “sees itself as a future reference in bioenergy development in the developing world” states the president of the supervisory board of the company Jean-Claude Sabin. “One of AGROED’s main objectives is to produce energy from Jatropha curcas in developing countries, starting in Africa and expanding later to Asia and Latin America."

To do so, the company puts public-private co-operation at the center of its activities, a form of collaboration that might encompass village communities as well as entire states, says Christiane Livoinniere, AGROED’s spokes-person.

Livoinniere says the rationale behind the creation of the company is the ever increasing oil price which is bringing poor countries literally to a standstill. Moreover, three quarters of all African countries experience electricity outages and fuel shortages, hampering development.

By cultivating Jatropha curcas, AGROED hopes to overcome these persistent problems. The poisonous plant has been used traditionally as hedges around fields, to fend off grazing animals. Its fruit however has been found to yield an interesting biofuel with properties close to those of diesel. Capable of being grown on semi-arid lands, it is inedible for both humans and animals but an excellent pesticide. Most importantly, products from this plant can play a major role in a village economy.

A virtuous cycle of local development
The transformation of jatropha into biofuel does not impact the food security of local communities, contrary to other biofuels. The production of bioenergy will be combined with growing other crops (intercropping), with local farming communities managing the plantations, says Jean-Claude Sabin. It has been observed that genuine symbioses are possible that result in increased yields. "We have planned to grow groundnuts in between rows of jatropha plants... the plant will contribute to the fertilisation of the mostly unexploited lands. Moreover, this plant in the final analysis could help eradicate deforestation or prevent it", Sabin adds.

Two years of research and experiments substantiated by the success of a pilot projet conducted in Mali led to the birth of AGROED. Fuel produced from jatropha is expected to be competitive with petroleum products, but more importantly, wealth will be created at a local level and host countries will be geared towards future energy independence. One hectare of jatropha produces around one tonne of oil and two tonnes of oil press cake. The energy content of a litre of oil equals that of a litre of diesel. Fifteen tonnes of press cake allows for the production of 2.7 million kWh of electricity, meeting the needs of around 6000 people:
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According to Christine Livonniere, one of AGROED's main advantages is the involvement of renowned experts in the field, most notably Jean-Claude Sabin, former vice-president of the Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d'Exploitants Agricoles (FNSEA), France's largest agricultural union counting 320,000 members. Under Sabin, the FNSEA was responsible for developing a biofuels industry in France.

Sabin is also the founder of France's largest farmers' interest group ('filière') for oil producing crops. Sabin now wants to share his knowledge, acquired over thirty years in both sectors, with Africa. AGROED will be working hand in hand with the French Agency for Development Cooperation (Agence Française de Développement, AFD) as well as the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) which combats rural hunger and poverty in developing countries. Both institutions will help organise training programmes for native populations and also contribute to the creation of of small scale infrastructures, such as tertiary roads and water pumps.

AGROED's activities will begin in Mali and Burkina Faso and will start with a scheduled meeting in Ouagadougou to discuss the development of biofuels in Africa. In Mali, 30,000 hectares of unexploited land is earmarked for the first part of programme with its first harvest expected in eighteen months.

Projects started by AGROED in every country will be supported by local affiliations who in turn will encourage local investors to participate. Countries involved in the project so far include Benin, Tanzania, Ghana, Guinee, Senegal and Togo.

Translated and adapted for Biopact by Laurens Rademakers.

Images: Jatropha nursery, and Jean-Claude Sabin visiting a traditional village which grows jatropha hedges. Credit: Afrik.

References:
Afrik: Agroed : la bioénergie au service du développement en Afrique [machine translation here] - November 2007.