Abbreviations and acronyms
Bio-Fuel Crop Production and Utilization
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- Policy Formulation and Management
- CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES
Bio-Fuel Crop Production and Utilization
Of recent, there has been renewed interest in bio-fuel crop production particularly liquid bio-fuels, in Eastern Africa and the rest of Africa. Over the last five (5) years or so, this has mainly been in response to significant rise and volatility of oil prices as well as the campaign for increased production and use of renewable energy to meet the concerns on climate change. In Tanzania, there is a big rush for bio-fuel production and that various investors are applying for investment in bio-fuel production and processing. They intend to use the vast amount of arable land for the production of bio-fuel crops including jatropha, oil palm, castor bean for bio-diesel and sugarcane for bio-ethanol and power co-generation systems. Bio-fuel production has a number of challenges that need to be addressed. These include competition for land and labour resources being diverted from food crops into bio-fuel crop production; loss of bio-diversity resulting from conversion of large parcels of natural habitats into monoculture bio-fuels production areas; lack of designated areas for bio-fuels production; lack of designated agricultural produce for bio-fuels production; and inadequate awareness on potential impact of bio-fuel production in the environment and national food security.
Sustainable utilization of agricultural resources in particular land, water and bio-diversity ensured in the production and use of bio-fuels while guaranteeing food security to the nation.
Policy formulation and management is the obligation of the government. This core function involves participation of stakeholders in the formulation and implementation of the policy. The capacity for policy analysis is a prerequisite for carrying out this important function. However, there exist challenges related to inadequate capacity for sector policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation; ineffective analytical capability; and limited financial and material resources.
Effective policy formulation and management systems enhanced.
CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES
Agricultural development is strongly dependent on environmental resources such as land, forest, air and water. Sustainable utilization of these resources in agriculture is vital to safeguard the environment. Although the intensification of agriculture exerts pressure on natural resources it also contributes to natural carbon pool hence increasing agriculture’s contribution to climate change mitigation should entail efficient crop production systems. There is a scientific consensus that concentration of greenhouse gases, human-driven emissions of carbon dioxide and land-use changes are the processes primarily responsible for climate change in our region. Climate change is also an attribute of unsustainable farming methods and systems including deforestation, land clearing and/or bush fires. In the same way, Tanzanian agriculture is constrained by unsustainable farming methods and systems; unavailability of reliable methodologies for measuring and monitoring carbon sequestration in agriculture sector; and weak enforcement of laws and regulations.
Agricultural practices that sustain the environment promoted.
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