Mpumalanga - 167 farmers have received training to take part in the production of biofuel, with the aim of creating alternative fuel for South Africa and employing 4150 people when the project is in full production.
 
Currently, 83 of these 167 farmers have benefited from the biofuel initiative. The remaining 84 will be included by the end of 2009. Some of these farmers have been involved in traditional farming producing crops such
maize and sugarcane before joining the biofuel initiative.
 
Aimed at supplying 60 000 tons of soybeans in support of the current biofuels initiative towards the production of bio-diesel, Sipulazi Biofuel Cooperative has already achieved outstanding results in the first year of
its inception through its involvement of over one hundred farmers in the area.
 
The project is negotiating with the Department of Agriculture to look at ways of expanding to other parts of the Mpumalanga province and has received
R1 922 860 from the National Development Agency (NDA) to fund its start-up.
 
"Initiatives like these encourage South Africans to move forward, not only to do something for themselves, but ensuring that a sustainable way of life
is established for future generations through responsible production," says Nimrod Mbele, NDA Mpumalanga Provincial Manager. In a 2006 Renewable Energy Technology report by Eugene Visagie and Gisela Prasad, biodiesel is cited as having the potential to key areas of development in South Africa, namely, the reduction of green gasses, job creation, economic development in disadvantaged rural communities and energy security, especially with regard to the continued rise in oil prices. 
 
Started in 2008 by beneficiaries of Land Reform, Sipulazi Biofuel Cooperative offers a way to enable job creation and environmental sustainability in Mpumalanga.
 
To date, farmers have received training on the efficient use of land, the soya beans production chain: from planting to harvest, understanding the type of beans planted and the suitability of the soil.
 
The training has enabled beneficiaries to look at other business opportunities. They have opened up a business that sells feed to chicken, cow and pig breeders and a piggery that gets the feed from the project, keeping feeding costs low.
 
Other partners involved are the Dept of Agriculture and the SA Renaissance Farmers Trust who will partner with the project in the production of bio-diesel.
 
Farmers will also receive 10% worth of shares from the diesel sold as well as profit made from the beans sold. In terms of the current market price, the project will be selling the beans at R2 800 per ton and this price is likely to increase based on market demand.

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written by jouchell , October 07, 2009

Although it sounds good to the uncritical reader, my concern is that there is no statement made to the agricultural processes that will be / are being employed... Will the process be built on the modern agri-food system that forms part of the petro-chemical complex? If hybrid varieties are used, petro-chemical products such as fertilisers, pesticides etc will be depended on which has severe consequences for soil and soil biodiversity. In agreement with the comment by val p, the modern agrifood system promotes the entrenchment of monocultures and a loss in biodiversity as countless variants within species are lost. Although biofeuls may certainly help us to reduce our carbon footprint, unsustainable production methods will just shift the problem to another area / areas...

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written by val p , September 23, 2009

I don't see much that is 'green' about this initiative. This type of farming promotes monoculture, which uses high levels of chemicals and machinery and so has adverse effects on soil and environment that negate any 'greeness' of soya fuels over oil fuels. And it doesn't deal with the root of the problem, which is too high energy and fuel use because of the way our cities and transport links have been designed for high dependency on motorized transport.Substituting biodiesel for oil is gonna solve nothing and just create a new set of problems.

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