Mark McHenry

High livestock mortality during drought remains the primary determinant of livestock herd size in arid and semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. This chapter explores the introducing long-lived carbon species (biochars) as stock feed additives to increase ruminant drought survival rates during low feed conditions in arid and semi-arid regions (i.e., where Acacia spp. occurs abundantly within their natural distribution range). This has the potential to ecologically deliver stable forms of carbon to the soil through the animal solid waste residue, and would require development of new small-scale artisanal pyrolyzers also useful for domestic cooking. This can enable the co-production of biochar from currently unused biomass resources that are at present unsuitable/undesirable for use in existing cooking technologies. The approach is contextualized within the existing sub-Saharan pastoral land use activities, and the associated limiting factors of ruminant production. The research shows in theory, biochar provides traditional livestock systems with an alternative for risk mitigation. Biochar produced from local 'waste' at any time of the year can be used during the feed gaps and provides a variation on local forestry for carbon sequestration activities compatible with traditional pastoral land tenure. Presented are potential applications that require further analysis for production system efficacy, and livestock feed-use optimization and the associated market value maximization.

This chapter explores components of a rural research, development, and extension strategy that amalgamates the primary industries with a larger class of broad-spectrum biological science and technological capability in Australia. Innovative enabling biotechnologies are likely to continue to alter approaches to tackling regionally-specific problems that link non-biological and biological resource use and production efficiency, including climate change. Such linkages will require a diverse scientific capability derived from research fields of science and technology currently external to conventional primary industry capabilities. However, capturing potential benefits of transformational technologies requires a progressive approach to investments in higher education, business, and government. This chapter asserts three crucial non-exclusive investment drivers are receiving insufficient consideration in the rural research, development, and extension in what is termed the "rural bioeconomy": human collaborative knowledge, sustainable production capability, and, cross sectoral transformational science and policy. Discussed are some policy and institutional options to assist convergence of these three non-exclusive drivers to enhance collaborative capabilities in a rural context.

This chapter describes a process for eliminating the current practice of dumping unwanted rice production waste, and uncontrolled burning of wastes in the field. Widescale rice husk conversion systems remain constrained by limited regionally-specific agronomic research on the efficacy of the resultant carbonised waste biochar on rice yields, fertilizer use efficiency, and stable carbon fractions for reliable and safe soil carbon biosequestration practices, as well as the economic incentives for farmers to integrate waste conversion technologies into rice farms. In this study a carbonizer technology was developed and applied to the rice production systems currently used in rural areas of the Philippines. The carbonizer prototypes were fabricated at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) machine shop in Muñoz Science City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, and used similar manufacturing techniques commonly used in the local machine shops, i.e., with locally available equipments, skills, and parts. Results from the second refined prototype demonstrated a processing capacity of up to 40 kg hr-1 of rice husk into biochar, with around 40% in biochar yield (by mass), and a biochar purity of approximately 99%. The refined prototype has a smokeless chimney emission during operation and carbon monoxide emissions were greatly reduced (431 ppm). The carbonizer enables waste heat extraction using exchangers or microboilers, with heat produced during combustion available as additional source of energy to partially replace kerosene and firewood currently used. This additional energy source from the use of agriculture waste in carbonizers can play a vital role in protecting the forests in rural Philippines, whereas population growth and current practices (kerosene and firewood from unmanaged forests) are drivers to illegal deforestation. The adoption of carbonizers can increase carbon sequestration by decreasing firewood demand and avoiding deforestation, (a REDD activity), and the application of biochar for fertilizer further reducing net emissions in the region through soil carbon storage. By increasing aboveground and belowground carbon stocks in the agro-ecosystem, carbonizers can be used strategically for sustainable resource management and as a important tool for reducing emissions as an effective and practical climate change mitigation strategy.

This chapter explores the next steps of expanding village poultry productivity in Mozambique post control of communicable diseases by assessing co-production of edible oils and high protein poultry feeds. The production of oil was analysed from the perspective of a suitable non-fossil fuel without the need for transesterification to produce biodiesel. A range of feedstock issues were considered for co-producing vegetable oil as a fuel and high protein animal feed. Technical considerations of the direct use of straight vegetable oil (SVO) in diesel engines and oil conversion to biodiesel are discussed, and we identify more suitable options for additional mechanisation options for smallholder farmers. Potential synergies with private-public partnerships between smallholders, food production companies, and education institutions to assist introduction of new mechanisation options were investigated. The research findings indicate the lack of access to training and equipment, and also education and experience of refining bio-oil derivatives, and the parallel high demand for human and animal food/feed presented a high prospectivity of producing SVO for use in suitable engines. The chapter concludes with a strategy to maximise the potential benefits of SVO production and use within agricultural communities.

The support/facilitation of subsistence farmers to establish commercially viable intensive production systems is a major opportunity and challenge in the development of many agricultural lands in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. The identification of suitable models of engagement, partners, organisations, and others, is an ongoing learning process. This chapter includes previously unpublished group interviews with upper management of an international food company to understand the existing and potential supply chain in Mozambique, and clarify their activities within the context of fostering selected farmer clusters to increase agricultural intensification to meet commercial food standards. Developing local capacity to supply commercial demands requires access to modern capital, technology, cultivars, and inputs for improving farm productivity, alongside the demonstration of improved production techniques over time. This requires some creativity in technology adaptation for specific production and socio-economic needs. It also fundamentally requires a market-led approach to land use in terms of intensification, and strategic investments with the aim of joining the commercial links and minimising coordination failures when they occur in developing markets. Such a partnered facilitation can communicate global food demands back to producers to enable adaptation, and also improve local access to farm inputs to enable them to achieve quality and quantity targets on a commercial basis. This chapter is derived from an unpublished report commissioned by ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) to the Doepel Group Pty Ltd., and has been updated, revised, and advanced under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)'s Australian Development Research Award Scheme project undertaken by Murdoch University.

Around half of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa is 'lost' or 'wasted' due to lack of an available market, poor handling at postharvest (methods and technology), and through poor road access. Effective postharvest processing is critical to ensure small producers best access local markets in nearby villages. This chapter explores small portable (renewable energy-powered, oil-less) compressors and high-pressure gas membrane technology as technical zero-emission alternatives to selectively purge seed and grain storage systems. The gas membrane uses inert and non-toxic gasses (including nitrogen) which are effective in preventing production loss to pests (fungus, insects, and others) by use of physical and environmental barriers only (i.e., no chemical fumigants) to reduce conducive conditions (especially moisture). Furthermore, the use of simple dry wood desiccants may be also a cost-effective solution for moisture management in sealed seed and grain storage. This chapter demonstrates that while proprietary gas membrane technology is expensive for sub-Saharan African smallholders, commercial arrangements (including generic drug provision at cost) may create a viable tool and foster food security by improved storage for various production conditions under variable climate.

This chapter analyses agricultural transformation and change occurring through inter-sectoral relationships as a result of mining activity in the Beira region of Mozambique. We explore the efforts to link the supply chains and capacity building as a means to renew livelihoods and progress towards improved farming systems and land uses. The research includes previously unpublished interviews undertaken by the authors with the Tete Provincial Farmers Union, Beira Agricultural Growth Corridor (BAGC), and a non-profit philanthropic company AgDevCo, for a report from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The Tete Provincial Farmers Union represent some local smallholder farmers, some of which supply agricultural produce to mining companies through intermediate buyers. Within this context, we discuss the local activities that aim to link the supply chain between the relocated farmers and other local farmers through capacity building and commercial partnering through small-scale private-public partnerships (PPPs). This approach aims to eventually generate sufficient smallholder productive capacity to supply wider local and export market demand for agricultural products on a commercial basis. The research discusses the engagement of social venture capital partner organisations (SVCPOs) to actively facilitate this process, and semi-structured interviews with representatives of the BAGC supported in part by the non-profit philanthropic company AgDevCo as an example. This chapter is derived from an unpublished report commissioned by ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) to the Doepel Group Pty Ltd., and has been updated, revised, and advanced under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)'s Australian Development Research Award Scheme project undertaken by Murdoch University.

Various microalgae species have shown a differential ability to bioremediate atmospheric CO2 . This chapter reports biomass concentration , biomass productivity , and CO2 fixation rates of several microalgae and cyanobacteria species under different CO2 concentrations and culture conditions. Research indicates that microalgal species of Scenedesmuss obliquss , Duniella tertiolecta , Chlorella vulgaris , Phormidium sp. , Amicroscopica negeli , and Chlorococcum littorale are able to bioremediate CO2 more effectively than other species. Furthermore, coccolithophorid microalgae such as Chrysotila carterae were also found to effectively bioremediate CO2 into organic biomass and generate inorganic CaCO3 as additional means of removing atmospheric CO2 . Important factors to increase the rate of CO2 bioremediation such as initial cell concentration , input CO2 concentration , and aeration rate are reviewed and discussed.