Developing
rural activities to solve both energy crisis and food crisis
By
Dr. Bienvenu-Magloire Quenum
African countries' decision-makers and international aids agencies are scrambling
to find solutions to the energy and food crisis that are threatening to completely
disrupt the economy in African nations, create social instability and chaos
all over the world at large.
Urgent meetings are held ("Summit On Food Security", 3-5
June 2008 at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy; Group of 77 meeting
at Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, 10-13 June, 2008. Not to forget the forthcoming
G8 meeting at Osaka, Japan, from July 7-9, 2008; and a
meeting to discuss oil pricing that Saudi Arabia's rulers are considering
for the near future).
As stated many times
here [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
in Africabiz Online, African countries should not rely too much on these meetings
and particularly on G8 periodic gathering to assist finding sustainable solutions
to the numerous problems hampering the harmonious developing of the continent.
They themselves should devise adequate strategies that would assist reverse the
downward trend and boost the global economy.
- Energy generation
using fossil raw-materials is not the solution for African countries
Feverishly,
African governments are trying to solve the food crisis, shedding levies
and taxes on imported food and commodities to ease social tension and
avoid the spreading of hunger riots.
These fiscal measures to lower food prices on the marketplace are having
severe negative impact on already unbalanced African nations budgets that dedicate
up to 80% of revenues to civil servants' salaries and wages.
As for the energy crisis, not a single master
plan is currently devised in
any single African country to setup power generating systems as alternatives
to classic systems based on the utilization of fossil raw-materials.
All
over the continent, utilities and power companies are rushing plan to
revamp and restructure existing plants and establish new ones. Some African
governments are even
considering the construction of nuclear power generating plants. That last option
being - in our opinion - an absolute aberration in current African countries
underdeveloped economic environment.
Indeed, nuclear (atomic) power generation is a very sophisticated technology
that requires first huge investment (in the range of several US$ billions for
a single plant to deliver 1,000MW); second, the hiring of highly competent technical
staff, and third, a densely integrated high-tech industrial environment that
currently does not exist in a single African country.
Which means that opting
for atomic nuclear plant technology would require hiring technicians
from the few big players countries that control the technology: the United States,
France, Great-Britain and Russia - and pay back huge salaries in hard currencies
and provide also expatriation incentives. Also everything from sophisticated
computers to heavy machinery, tubes, electrical wiring and so on would be imported.
And all these cumulative investment and operating expenses would not only increase
the pricing of the electricity delivered to consumers, but also increase national
debt load.
Therefore, no doubt about
this: Any African country that would opt for nuclear technology to solving the
energy crisis will increase dependency to foreign influence, and loose the minimal
apparent (political) independence left - for the so-called independence of African
nations is a myth. [That statement cannot be developed further in current issue,
for lack of space and time. However, the reader will find exposed at this
link elements to ponder about the matter]
Further, efficient power generating systems need to be established
now and fast in African countries, in the period-range of one to two years maximum,
to avoid a total deliquescence of the economy. And an
atomic nuclear plant to produce electricity cannot be established in that span
of time.
So much for the nuclear technology to solving the energy crisis in African countries.
It is simply a waste of time considering such a solution - even if nuclear plants
engineering companies from developed countries are now scouting the continent
proposing financing schemes to assist in the matter.
Other solutions based on fossil raw-materials - coal, oil and gas
powered systems - are not sustainable alternatives due to the skyrocketing purchasing
prices these raw-materials are now experiencing. The causes being structural
and geostrategic: the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Middle East /Palestinians
and Israelis imbroglio, and Iran adamant determination to become a nuclear power.
Etc.
These geostrategic causes will not disappear or change for the near future.
So, one can say that oil
and strategic commodities prices will stay
at (speculative) high level for a long time, and would certainly remain at high
level for at least end of 2011. That is even an very optimistic assumption!
Further, the implementation of above listed solutions would not
service rural areas to allow for the establishment of crops' processing units
in the countryside. Emphasis will be placed on servicing cities and large boroughs,
which are currently submitted to power cut on daily basis all other the black
continent.
- Developing rural activities
will solve both energy crisis and food crisis, and boost the global economy
Above paragraphs lead to the conclusion that
fossil-based power generating systems would not assist boosting the
economy in African rural areas, which
is the only way to turn the economy around
in African countries as advocated and demonstrated in several
issues of Africabiz Online.
Previous deliveries [89, 90, 91, 92])
exposed the tremendous impact agriculture development could
have on the global developing of African nations, generating abundant biomass
that would be raw materials to generating electricity. Three issues
particularly [1, 2, 3]
highlighted the astounding economic boost resulting from agriculture development,
crops processing and biogas electricity production.
Power generation based on
the utilization of fossil raw materials will never produce double-digit
annual growth rates for 10 years running
- a performance never achieved today by any single African country.
The developing scenario described in above linked issues does not require (initial)
huge investments necessary to set up (for example) and operate an atomic nuclear
electricity production plant. It is not capital intensive
and most important, it set up conditions to create thousand and thousand jobs
in rural areas and establish a network of small crops transformers (industrialists).
In conclusion, African countries have not alternative but to diversify agriculture
productions, that will yield abundant biomass and by-products to generate
energy, and assist establishing crops' processing plants in the countryside.
This can be implemented in a short span of time - one to two years - to reverse
upward the economy and creating riches for all, to efficiently fighting rampant
poverty in African countries.
Again and again, let us be convinced that only by boosting economic activities
in rural areas (where up to 80% of African countries' population live) would
Africa start its voyage towards prosperity. Any other strategy is just a waste
of time.
About the author:Dr.
Bienvenu-Magloire Quenum is the principal/
managing director of Dr. Quenum & Associates, IBC. He is an experienced Investment & Business
Planner with 25 years consulting practice in African countries. He is the
editor in chief of http://africabiz.org /
Africabiz Online.
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LIVESTOCK
& GAME DEVELOPMENT - PART VII: - A MEDIUM-SCALE
CATTLE FATTENING OPERATION - E- QUANTITY OF ELECTRICITY PRODUCED FROM
CATTLE DUNG
Referring to the
conversion table here available, and pigsite.com calcualtions, we know that
one metric cube of biogas can generate 2 kWh of electricity. Therefore, one can
estimate the quantity of biogas-electricity generated by one fattening
operation (1,200 cattle heads produced per year at capacity) to be equel
to 626,720,000 kWh - [That is 313,360,000 m3 of biogas*2 kWh]
or 6,26 MWh of electricity per year.
Just calculate the amount of biogas electricity that would result from,
let say, 10,000 animal breeding operations, which fatten each 1,200 cattle
heads per year!
The consequences resulting from the production of such amount of renewable energy had
already been explored in a previous issue (considering pig waste) titled: Energy
Self-sufficiency Is Feasible For African Countries.
1-Handbook
of Livestock Management
by Richard A. Battaglia (Paperback - Jul 21, 2006)
2- Raising
Small Livestock:
A Practical Handbook
by Jerome D. Belanger (Paperback - Feb 11, 2005)
3- The
Homesteader's Handbook
to Raising Small Livestock Goats, Chickens, Sheep. Geese, Rabbitts, Hogs,
Turkeys, Guinea Fowl, Ducks and Pigeons
by Jerome D. Belanger (Hardcover - April 1974)
4- Backyard
Livestock:
Raising Good, Natural Food for Your Family, Third Edition by Steven Thomas
and George P. Looby (Paperback - Jan 2, 2007)
5- Keeping
Livestock Healthy:
A Veterinary Guide to Horses, Cattle, Pigs, Goats & Sheep, 4th Edition
by N. Bruce Haynes (Paperback - Nov 1, 2001)
6- Alternative
Health Practices for Livestock
by Michael Keilty and Thomas Morris (Hardcover - Jan 1, 2006)
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