Kenyans Fear Dakatcha Woodlands Biofuel Expansion

Kenyans fear Dakatcha Woodlands biofuel growth


23 March 2011


By Will Ross


BBC News, Dakatcha


Sitting in the shade of a tree beside his thatched mud hut in in Kenya's Dakatcha Woodlands, Joshua Kahindi Pekeshe is defiant.


"We are not going to let this land go even if it means shedding blood," he informed the BBC.


"Land is extremely crucial to us. We farm and get our livelihood from it. On this land we bury our dead."


He is among the numerous individuals opposed to the production of a large biofuel plantation in the location, about an hour's drive inland from the coastal town of Malindi.


It is a dry location and home to some 20,000 people along with worldwide threatened animal and bird species.


Ambitious objectives


An Italian company has actually asked the authorities for authorization to rent 50,000 hectares there to grow jatropha curcas, whose seeds are rich in oil that can be developed into bio-diesel.


This plant, initially from South America, has long been grown in Africa as a hedge to keep out animals - goats remain well away as it is dangerous. The location impacted is community land which is being kept in trust by the local council.


Kenya jatropha curcas Energy Ltd is 100%-owned by the Milan-based Nuove Iniziative Industriali SRL.


It has actually rented practically a million hectares in Africa; jatropha curcas oil from a plantation in Senegal is being provided to the Swedish furnishings retailer Ikea. Other companies have rented land for the exact same purpose in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Ghana, as well as in India.


This growth has actually been stimulated by the European Union, which has set enthusiastic objectives for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering its dependence on imported oil.


The 27 EU countries have registered to a regulation which states that by 2020, 20% of energy must be from sustainable sources, external.


Why is Africa affected?


Because it is hard to find 50,000 hectares of readily available land to grow a biofuel crop in, for instance, the UK or Italy.


Why 'feed' an automobile?


But campaign groups have actually identified some of the jobs in Africa "land grabs" with dire consequences for the frequently voiceless African neighborhoods.


Some ask: "Why 'feed' an automobile in Europe when cravings in your home is still a truth?"


"Our future is no longer in our hands. We have actually been informed we need to move since they want to plant jatropha here," stated 27-year-old Merciline Koi, a mom of 2, who included that there had actually been no deal of compensation for leaving her home in Dakatcha Woodlands.


Kenya Jetropha Energy Ltd says the negotiations are over - the federal government has actually provided the green light for a pilot task to start with 10,000 hectares and all it is awaiting now is the last documents.


The company states hundreds of irreversible and thousands of seasonal tasks will be developed and it denies that anybody will be displaced by the task.


"We wish to secure the houses and the personal property. We will farm around the houses," Kenya jatropha curcas Energy Ltd head Girardello Adriano told the BBC from Milan.


"We are helping these people. They are extremely pleased for this job. No-one will be moved."


How green are biofuels?


According to the Kenyan government's environment watchdog, the deal has actually not yet been sealed. It refused the initial 50,000-hectare request mentioning issues over the impact on the environment and the sustainability of the task.


"We were advising 1,000 hectares ... We have told them to validate if the number needs to change and that is why we haven't approved the job up to now," said Benjamin Malwa Langwen, of the National Environment Management Authority (Nema).


However, there are now fresh require the Dakatcha task to be scrapped as brand-new research study calls into question whether jatropha curcas is truly a greener alternative to oil.


The anti-poverty campaign group ActionAid and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) commissioned a report to investigate just how green the jatropha task in Kenya's Dakatcha forests would be.


The research study by the consultancy group North Energy, external found that jatropha curcas would release in between 2.5 and six times more greenhouse gases when compared to fossil fuels.


This is partially since big quantities of carbon are stored in the forests' plant life and soil but the plantation would imply clearing the land of this vegetation.


"The report shows that EU policies are silly policies because they are not decreasing greenhouse gas emissions as the EU is proclaiming," stated ActionAid's Chris Coxon.


"The proposed biofuel plantation will devastate the woodlands, driving the worldwide threatened Clarke's Weaver bird to extinction and depriving thousands of regional people of their incomes," stated Helen Byron of the RSPB.


In action, the EU Commission safeguarded its energy policy as "the most extensive and innovative sustainability plan for biofuels anywhere in the world".


Unorthodox approaches


At the remote Mulunguni primary school, which lies within the Dakatcha Woodlands, numerous brand-new classrooms and pit latrines have simply been built.


They were part funded by the European Union - the very organisation which is now accused of pushing policies which locals fear could see the school shut down.


"My worry is the displacement of the community. It is bad to build a class and after that send the students away," stated the deputy head Godfrey Karissa.


"Yes we require tasks. But a farm without a home is not excellent. You require to have a home before you go to your task."


There are plainly issues on the ground that once the lease is signed, the population will be at the mercy of a profit-driven company.


Ikea states it will not source jatropha curcas oil from Kenya until it can be sure that this will not add to the conversion of natural environments.


"This switch from nonrenewable fuel sources to eco-friendly energy must never ever be at the cost of individuals or the environment," Ikea informed the BBC in a declaration.


The woodlands are also an abundant source of material for standard medication.


If they feel let down by the government and the local authorities, locals simply may turn to unconventional methods in a quote to keep the land.


"If all the senior citizens come together for one objective, then it is really simple to eliminate him with our medications," stated Barova Kiribai, a standard therapist, referring to the owner of the Italian biofuels business.


The fate of individuals here is in the hands of the Kenyan government and Malindi's community council.


It is not unexpected they are stressed.


Kenya's political leaders do not have a good performance history when it pertains to working in the interests of the people.


ActionAid


Energy


RSPB


Nema


Ikea