Thomro Investments - Zambia Biofuel production

Thomro Investments Limited is among the few pioneer companies in Zambia promoting and engaging in the development of biofuels industry in Zambia. The main plant for biofuel production comes from Jathropa. Thomro also offers consultancy services and training in order to improve the performance of operations in the industry.

Equatorial Biofuels-Crude Palm Oil via Timbuktu Chronicles

Timbuktu Chronicles reports on Palm Oil for Biofuels.

CS Monitor reports on David Parker's company Equatorial Biofuels,which :

Has taken over the 36,000-acre Palm Bay plantation and plans to invest up to $10 million initially to rehabilitate the estate and begin producing palm oil industrially again.

Their goals are to:

Green Africa Foundation

Green Africa Foundation is a Kenyan organization founded in 2000 to support ecological and environmental conservation with a particular focus in arid and semi arid lands of Kenya where poverty is most prevalent. The Foundation focuses on capacity development of poor communities through a partnership approach that integrates environmental conservation and community livelihoods.

Jatropha Africa

Jatropha Africa-Ghana, is a Bio Diesel Feedstock Company. Commercial activities include; growing seedlings, contract planting, harvesting and selling oil seed as feedstock to bio diesel companies and farmers.

Their vision is to provide a leading position amongst the Jatropha growers of Africa and as a provider of high quality Jatropha Seeds and Oil to customers around the world.

South Africa - Cellphone helps reduce irrigation costs

By: Fidelis Zvomuya, AfricaNews reporter in Pretoria, South Africa, photo: Martha Piqueras

Small scale sugar cane farmers in South Africa have managed to potentially reduce their direct irrigation costs by US$300 per hectare thanks to the use of a high cellphone technology system that is providing them with practical, real up to date information about when to irrigate their crops.

The system called My Canesim employs automatic weather stations, the internet and cellular technology that uses a newly formulated concept, dynamic depletion level to manage irrigation on large fields allowing spatial and temporal extrapolation of point simulations to other parts of the field and to future days within an irrigation cycle.

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Esv Group - Biofuels

ESV Group Plc was established to build a substantial biofuels farming business to supply feedstock to the biofuels industry. Its immediate strategy is to build on its existing business interests in farming and logistics in Ukraine and the transhipment of grain from the region. The Group has a highly experienced team in place, both in the UK and Ukraine, with extensive knowledge and relationships across the agri-business markets. ESV has also recently acquired 11,000 hectares with the aim of developing a substantial Jatropha growing business in Southern Africa.

Brazil to promote Biofuels in Africa - Business Week

The Brazilians are known as experts when it comes to Biofuels. They have been progressive since the early 70's when world oil prices were too high. Most of Brazil's Biofuel comes from sugar cane, and a small percentage from corn and other crops.

Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to help African countries seize this surging interests in Biofuel and build their own capacity. Even though Africa is a net exporter of oil, many believe that Biofuels can enable poverty reduction on the continent.

Read this BusinessWeek article about Brazil and Africa's collaboration.

African Jatropa & Palm oil are being refined for Biofuels

Bio fuels are gaining traction as an alternative to hydrocarbons. And, in certain parts of the world, governments and some corporations consider jatropha and palm oil, common in hot climates, one of the most promising sources of bio diesel. Any country that uses palm oil could benefit by this surge in bio fuels. However, because palm oil is essential for cooking, more emphasis should be placed on non-edible plants such as jathropa, and other bio-based plants.

Bio fuels also give farmers another source of sustainable income. In the US farmers in the Midwest are benefiting from ethanol based products, farmers in Africa should also benefit. Because of the popularity in jatropa and palm oil, farmers will need some guidance in getting a fair share of their produce.