Income-Motivated Environmental Conservation

Summary
EcoFix Kenya (EFK) has pioneered uses for croton nuts, a type of indigenous East African nut that had no previous commercial, productive or nutritional value. The world’s first and only producer of croton products, EFK creates organic fertilizers, poultry seed meal and biofuel. Beyond presenting solutions to environmental and energy concerns facing smallholders, these products also create demand for a new crop that farmers can harvest to supplement their incomes.

Challenge
The rising cost of energy continues to affect many households in Africa, with factors such as depleting oil stores and higher extraction costs meaning that prices could continue to rise. Fuel demand in Africa is also expected to increase as populations and incomes grow and supplies of traditional cooking fuels become more costly because of the depletion of forests.

In light of these trends, there is renewed interest in biofuels that not only cut energy costs but also reduce human contributions to climate change. Biofuels produce fewer toxic pollutants than petroleum-based fuels do, and they could also help curtail respiratory illnesses. Replacing traditional charcoal and wood fuels with clean-burning biofuels and vegetable oils would reduce indoor air pollution.

Energy from biofuels offer new opportunities for economic growth, employment and earning rural incomes. However, one major challenge in biofuel production remains the availability of low-cost labour and abundant natural resources for sustainable, environmentally friendly fuel production.

Solution
By developing a zero-waste manufacturing processes for croton nuts, EFK has created an income-motivated environmental conservation model as well as a source of employment for smallholder farmers, including women and young people. Under this model, farmers collect mature nuts that naturally fall from trees and sell them to an agent who aggregates and transports them to a factory. By harvesting croton nuts, farmers can raise their incomes by as much as US$400 per year.

EFK’s eco-friendly products further contribute to sustainable development by improving soil health. Whereas synthetic fertilizers can damage and degrade soils, croton-based fertilizer adds organic matter back to soil, improving soil structure and increasing microbial activity. These eco-friendly products help farmers to increase their yields and guarantee not only good soil health but also increased yields over time.

Additional croton products address other needs. Croton oil can power water pumps and tractor engines, and major companies such as Del Monte have used the biofuel for its diesel generators. Compared to other fuels such as diesel, croton is cheaper and generates far lower carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, EFK’s croton seed meal offers an affordable, consistent raw material for poultry feed formulation.

Results

- Since 2012, over 6,000 smallholder farmers have been reached and are engaging in croton nut collection.

- Collectively, farmers make an extra KES 5-10 million from croton nut collection annually.

- Over 16 counties benefit from the croton collection business: Makueni, Narok, Samburu, Laikipia, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Meru, Kiambu, Baringo, Bomet, Kericho, Embu and Muranga.

- Over 70 tons of seed meal have been sold to farmers, reducing the need to rely on expensive low-quality imports.

- Over 500 tons of organic fertilizers have been sold to both small and large-scale farmers, contributing to improved yields and curbing the effects of degraded and depleted soils.

Lessons Learned
In any project, offering farmers a solution that addresses their day-to-day needs increases the chances of success. EFK offers a solution that enables farmers to earn  additional income while simultaneously conserving the environment. Harvesting croton nuts offers farmers a sustainable additional income rather than a one-time pay-out from burning croton trees for charcoal. In addition, creating awareness about the importance of organic farming has contributed to farmers’ increased demand for organic products.

Next Steps
In the next two years, EFK aims to engage an additional 4,000 farmers in croton collection in counties that have pre-existing trees. They also plan to raise awareness about the benefits of organic farming and how chemical farming necessitates increased volume of chemical inputs and higher production costs over time. The awareness drive will encourage farmers to adopt sustainable and regenerative farming practices by using organic fertilizers.