Stefan Sieber, Götz Uckert, Harry Hoffmann:
Strategies to Use Biofuel Value Chain Potential in Sub-saharan Africa to Respond to Global Change / Enhancing Low"=productivity Farming in Tanzania and Linking to SMEs

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STEFAN SIEBER, GÖTZ UCKERT, HARRY HOFFMANN
Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF e.V.), Institute for Socioeconomics, Germany

Better-iS aims at identifying the potential for linking low"=productivity farming to small and medium enterprises (SME) to enhance livelihoods through biofuel value chains. Local biomass production and processing targeted to small"=scale farmers in Tanzania (Morogoro) through linkages to SMEs is expected to be improved. Within the scope of increased energy demand, strategies on locally produced feedstock or biofuels may be used decentralised for producing electricity, cooking and heating; or the option to be exported to the international market will be developed. The following analytical assessment streams are undertaken to achieve the objective:

  1. Model assessments to downscale global climate change scenarios to local case study regions in Tanzania and to assess biomass potentials for national energy demand simulations.

  2. Participative assessments of the viability on potential pathways of linking low-productivity farming to SME on local, decentralised biomass concepts.

Beyond academic benefices, farmers, regional organisations and local authorities in sub-Saharan Africa will be collaboratively develop feasible strategies to benefit from biomass production potential and mitigate food insecurity.

After three years the project will have accomplished the following outputs:

First project results will be presented. Lessons learnt for successful project implementation, benefits and risks can be evaluated and discussed.



Keywords: Biofuel value chains, impact modelling, indicator, sustainability impact assessments, Tanzania


Footnotes

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Contact Address: Stefan Sieber, Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF e.V.), Institute for SocioeconomicsEberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany, e-mail: sieber@zalf.de
Andreas Deininger, October 2010