Deforestation in Zambia and how Grass and Biomass Could be the Answer

Zambia is one of the countries with the worst records in terms of deforestation. This is caused by agricultural expansion, infrastructure, fires, and wood extraction. Around 300,000 hectares of forest cover are lost each year in Zambia.

This is all made worse by the fact that two-thirds of the country lives off-grid and uses charcoal for heating and cooking. Fortunately, grass and biomass could be part of the solution.

How Biomass Can Reduce Deforestation in Zambia

As wood and subsequently charcoal is used as the main source of fuel for heating and cooking in large parts of the Zambian population, a greener alternative that results in less deforestation needs to be found.

When it comes to green fuel sources, biomass is an excellent option and there are suitable plants, known as energy crops, which can be processed to make solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels for heating or to generate electricity.

Similarly, with genetic modification, species and hybrids can be created or isolated for this very purpose rather than using the wood from trees, which produces far lower yields and lower amounts of energy.

How Energy Crops Are a Better Option than Wood

While fossil fuels produce CO2, certain energy crops can be carbon neutral or even carbon negative, even after farming, converting them into fuel, and transporting them.

One such plant, Miscanthus giganteus, has such a high yield, high energy, and low maintenance that most approaches will produce little to no greenhouse gases.

Certain lower-yield energy crops mightn’t be carbon neutral once all parts of the process are accounted for, but they still usually offer higher yields and better calorific values than wood.

The aforementioned Miscanthus giganteus has yields and calorific values four to five times that of wood and as a feedstock for syngas and biofuels, it produces almost no emissions.

Who’s Answering the Call for Biomass in Zambia

SavSmart Biomass is a renewable energy company that’s creating Miscanthus giganteus plantations in Zambia’s Muchinga Province and will use this energy crop to create biomass and biofuels (through a new refinery), reduce Zambia’s reliance on wood, and subsequently reduce deforestation, which will allow the deforested land to be restored.

Through investments from various groups and individuals such as Tor Anders Petterøe and Michael Silver, SavSmart Biomass has been able to start cultivating Miscanthus, which is rather expensive and beyond the reach of the local subsistence farmers in the area.

Fortunately, once the plant is established, it requires very little maintenance and can last for over a quarter of a century, be harvested annually, and is perennial, so it doesn’t need replanting. The crop also doesn’t require much herbicide or fertiliser to get started and can be harvested from the second year onwards.

In addition to hiring a permanent local workforce, the plant nursery will also hire over 300 daily contractors and support local farmers through an outgrow project that will not only pay locals but encourage them to shift away from charcoal production as a source of income.