Biofuels in Tanzania: Status, Opportunities and Challenges

Anthony M. Mshandete.J. Appl. Biosci. 2011. Biofuels in Tanzania: Status, Opportunities and challengesCONCLUSIONSThis is a first ever-comprehensive review, whichcategorized issues and provided the status of eachissues pertaining to biofuels in Tanzania. The reviewalso highlighted the gaps and proposed strategies ofaddressing the gaps related to opportunities/prospects,challenges/risks/constrains of the relatively newbiofuels sector. In this review it was revealed thatTanzania has great potential for biofuel production dueto the availability of land resource, high yield biofuelfeedstock’s, water resources, relative conduciveclimatic conditions and cheap labor force. It was alsolearnt that Tanzania could benefit if it chooses toengage in this biofuels opportunity by aligning industrysustainability and development goals. However, there isneither biofuel policy nor strategies to regulate biofuelindustry although there some guidelines developed byNBTF. Even without the biofuel policy howeverinvestments have been going on. Multinationalcompanies/investors have started large-scaleproduction of biofuels mainly for export. At the momentbiofuel production and processing in Tanzania is at itsACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI would like to express my gratitude to the RegionalAgriculture and Environment Initiatives Network(RAEIN-Africa) for providing guidelines to carry out thiscomprehensive desk study on status of biofuels inTanzania. I also sincerely acknowledge RAEIN-Africafor financial support to attend and present the findingsof this study on the conference on “Mitigation andmade from organic waste are environmentallymore benign than biofuels from energy crops.Using biomass primarily for material purposesreusing and recycling it, and then recoveringits energy content can gain multiple dividends.In Tanzania the current move towards biofuelproduction is necessitated by a number of factors,which are analogous to the concerns such as impact onclimate echoed in the rest of the world. With regard toJatropha, one recent study on land clearing andgreenhouse gas emissions from Jatropha biofuels onAfrican miombo woodland in Tanzania concluded thatthe carbon condition of soils appears to be moresignificant for the emissions balance than biomass andthat whether net emissions reductions are achieveddepends on the level of degradation of the ecosystemand alternative land uses (Romijn, 2009). Although ithas been generally concluded recently by Action Aid(2010) that the industrial biofuels are the least costeffectiveway of saving GHG emissions and theirsuitability in the fight against climate change isuncertain. However, using best agriculturalmanagement practices could reduce many of thenegative biofuels impacts on climate, although choiceof feedstocks and systems, and the overall demandremain critical. In addition, other environmentalparameters such as negative impacts on naturalresources must also be taken into consideration.Analytical tools such as life cycle analysis (LCA) canhelp identify the best environmental alternatives;however, social parameters have to be innovativelyintegrated in LCA. There is simply not enough land toproduce sufficient biofuel for global liquid fuel needs.Finally, it should be noted that investment in biofuels isa relatively expensive way to reduce global greenhousegas emissions. Other measures of exploiting otherrenewable energy sources may be more cost-effectiveinnovations.infant stage and there are no commercial production ofbiofuels (ethanol and biodiesel). There is only smallscale production of straight vegetable oil (SVO) from oilseeds, e.g. Jatropha, oil palm, etc do exist which ispromoted by local private companies and NGOs. Thebiofuels industry has potential for diversification ofincome particularly for rural poor small-scale farmersbut the challenge is how to integrate them in the biofuelvalue chain and how will be the distribution of returnsamong economic agents involved in the industry. Atleast with the prevailing biofuel investment pattern inTanzania, biofuels are likely to have negative impact onfood security, biodiversity, and land issues if there is nowell thought policies put in place to regulate theindustry. Biofuel policy will be most successful only ifintegrated in comprehensive plans for climate,biodiversity, food and energy security. Therefore,proper consideration and management of the potentialnegative effects of the biofuel industry is required, toensure benefits out weigh any ecological, economicand/or social costs.Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change andInnovation Systems in Southern Africa” Held atBirchwood Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa 23-25,March 2010. A fund to publish this paper provided byDirectorate of Research at University of Dar es Salaamis highly appreciated.2700