Using locally grown grass and other pasture crops, the goal of the biorefinery is to produce high-protein feed for livestock and create new income opportunities for smallholder farmers in Uganda.
It’s a step toward replacing expensive soybean imports with a high-quality, sustainable local source of protein, say those behind the project.
BIO4Africa, comprising 13 partners in Africa and 12 partners in the EU, is a four-year project to transfer simple, small-scale and robust bio-based technology to rural Africa. The aim is to empower African farmers and farming communities to produce a wider range of high-value products using local biomass. By developing new business opportunities, the project will help farmers do more with less and diversify their income. Circular business models will ensure social, economic and environmental sustainability.
The overall objective of the initiative is to contribute to long-term improvements in livelihoods, food security and community resilience and a reduction in rural migration.
The biorefinery is located in Fort Portal on the premises of the Kabarole Research & Resource Center (KRC), one of the 25 partners in the consortium. Another partner, the Dutch biotech company Grassa, has provided the expertise and equipment for the plant.
“The green biorefinery is not just the first in Africa. It is only the third of its kind in the world. We are looking for an integrated approach, in which many farmers and ranchers can benefit from this circular model.” said Mohammed Shariff, CEO of KRC.
Local farmers are already delivering grass to the biorefinery for processing. Operating like a slow juicer, the biorefinery squeezes the herb to extract the protein-rich juice. Both the juice and the fibrous press cake provide a nutritional contribution to livestock feed and are a cheaper and more accessible alternative to traditional soy-based products.
Wim van Doorn, project leader in Grassa, described how the protein concentrate can be dried and used to feed monogastrics. The press cake can also be ensiled and fed to cows and goats. “Because these products are easy to store and transport, they offer a good opportunity for farmers to improve their income.”
Food safety
Better quality feed for farmers can also help solve one of Uganda’s most pressing challenges: high levels of malnutrition. According to UNICEF Uganda, stunting due to malnutrition affects more than a third of children under the age of five.
“The implementation of this biotechnology can allow farmers to improve their productivity, so that they can deliver more meat, milk and eggs to the population, and contribute to reducing malnutrition in this region and throughout the country.”Shariff continued.
pilot stage
Pilot trials are evaluating a hybrid of elephant grass with millet. Once these are complete, the BIO4Africa partners said they will begin testing the biorefining technology on the leaves of Mucuna beans, alfalfa and other green leafy crops supplied by local farmers.
The ambition is to make farmers and ranchers work in circular harmony, where farmers supply biomass to the biorefinery, which produces feed products for ranchers, who then deliver the manure to the fields as fertilizer.
Building on the experience gained in Uganda, a second green biorefinery will be established in Ghana in 2023.