1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Technology

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

R4D Woody Weeds

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

CDE Centre for Development and Environment (CDE Centre for Development and Environment) - Switzerland

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

When were the data compiled (in the field)?

13/03/2018

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Ja

1.4 Declaration on sustainability of the described Technology

Comments:

The main objective of the technology was to minimize environmental pollution through environmentally friendly production processes, uphold preservation of threatened indigenous species by using invasive Prosopis juliflora as a feed stock thereby reducing its woody biomass as well as controlling its spread. However, it is reported that such extractions of the tree parts for charcoal production purposes enhances coppicing, facilitating further invasion. Although disputed by recent research work, the potentiality of control through utilization in managing Prosopis spread is still uncertain. However, there are chances that unless integrated by other management strategies involving active land restorative measures as documented in technologies 3444 and 3455, charcoal production may not sustainably control the spread of Prosopis juliflora.

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

Charcoal production from invasive Prosopis juliflora has several objectives. It has been promoted to control the spread and reduce the abundance of invasive Juliflora while generating income opportunities for poor rural households producing and selling charcoal. Wood pyrolysis is an efficient, environmentally friendly charcoal production technology through indirect heating of wood at high temperatures with the release of water vapor.

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

The use of invasive Prosopis wood for charcoal production is intended to control its spread, create space for agricultural or grazing activities and restore degraded land.
Tinder Eco fuels limited is a private company whose aim is to efficiently produce charcoal through modern, environmental friendly techniques using the ‘EURO’ line charcoal kilns. Approximately 60 tons of invasive Prosopis wood are collected weekly, ejecting an estimate of Ksh. 400,000 weekly income to the local community.
Prosopis, the only tree in Baringo permitted for charcoal production is cut by land users and dried for three days to lower its water content before being transported to the production firm. The trees are then weighed and cut into 15 cm lengths, a corresponding dimension of the loading and offloading trolleys. In the carbonizing chambers, the raw materials are subjected to indirect burning and consequent cooling by pyrolysis gas heated at 250 – 500 degree celcius, a process that takes 8-16 hours. Operations in the chambers are controlled and regulated by an assembly of sensors. Ready charcoal is offloaded into a winch which is covered and sealed by a sandy-clay mixture for further cooling to prevent combustion.
Land users prefer this technology to the traditional one as it is more efficient with a guaranteed income from the sale of Prosopis wood. The carbonization process is fine-tuned, minimizing smoke production and the number of point sources of pollution through household-based traditional charcoal production. A steady production process that is resilient to rainy seasons ensures market readiness and reduces price fluctuations. Clearing the land from invasive Prosopis increases the land's economic and ecological value and the provision of mutliple ecosystem services relevant for local people.

2.3 Photos of the Technology

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Technology has been applied and which are covered by this assessment

2.6 Date of implementation

Indicate year of implementation:

2015

2.7 Introduction of the Technology

Specify how the Technology was introduced:

• through projects/ external interventions

Comments (type of project, etc.):

The technology was established by a private company to transform traditional to a modern environmentally friendly charcoal production technique while advocating for the protection of indigenous tree species threatened by invasive Prosopis.

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• improve production
• reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
• conserve ecosystem
• preserve/ improve biodiversity
• mitigate climate change and its impacts
• create beneficial economic impact
• create beneficial social impact

• enhance provision of multiple ecosystem services

3.2 Current land use type(s) where the Technology is applied

Comments:

The cleared lands, unless located within the irrigated farmlands where cultivation usually follows, are usually left idle allowing Prosopis to coppice and the harvesting cycle continues.

If land use has changed due to the implementation of the Technology, indicate land use before implementation of the Technology:

The challenge with charcoal production from prosopis is that without supporting measures and interventions, prosopis may not be reduced. Therefore it is very important to define a clear goal before implementing the technology. If complete eradication of prosopis is the goal, then charcoal production from prosopis can only be a technology to cover the transition from prosopis to e.g. agriculture or pasture.

3.3 Further information about land use

Water supply for the land on which the Technology is applied:

• rainfed

Specify:

Prosopis is an evergreen tree and easily regenerates and becomes invasive without any human intervention. Cutting of stems or uprooting without a restorative measure in place facilitates their ability to coppice and re-germinate due to the resistant nature of their seeds.

3.4 SLM group to which the Technology belongs

• natural and semi-natural forest management
• pastoralism and grazing land management
• energy efficiency technologies

3.5 Spread of the Technology

Specify the spread of the Technology:

• applied at specific points/ concentrated on a small area

Comments:

While charcoal production is most efficiently achieved in a centrally located production facility, the woody material from invasive Prosopis typically originates from heavily invaded areas easily accessible and close to the prodcution facility. The size of the facility's catchment area typically depends on the level of invasion.

3.6 SLM measures comprising the Technology

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

3.8 Prevention, reduction, or restoration of land degradation

Specify the goal of the Technology with regard to land degradation:

• reduce land degradation

Comments:

If accompanying measures are put in place, then the technology can also contribute to restore and rehabilitate degraded land.

4.1 Technical drawing of the Technology

4.3 General information regarding the calculation of inputs and costs

Specify how costs and inputs were calculated:

• per Technology unit

Indicate exchange rate from USD to local currency (if relevant): 1 USD =:

100.0

4.4 Establishment activities

	Activity	Type of measure	Timing
1.	Construction	Structural	once during the plant establishment
2.	Machine installation	Structural	once during the plant establishment

4.5 Costs and inputs needed for establishment

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	machine installation (35% of machine cost)	Men	14.0	50000.0	700000.0	100.0
Equipment	‘EURO’ line charcoal kiln	a set	1.0	2000000.0	2000000.0	100.0
Equipment	welding machine	unit	1.0	22000.0	22000.0	100.0
Equipment	cutting disk	unit	1.0	1800.0	1800.0	100.0
Construction material	Operations' shade	building	1.0	100000.0	100000.0	100.0
Other	business operations permit	operations permit	1.0	20000.0	20000.0	100.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology					2843800.0

4.6 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

	Activity	Type of measure	Timing/ frequency
1.	Transportation of wood from land users	Management	daily
2.	Cutting of wood	Structural	daily
3.	Loading into carbonizers	Structural	daily
4.	Packing of ready charcoal	Structural	daily

4.7 Costs and inputs needed for maintenance/ recurrent activities (per year)

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	Technical employees	monthly salary	12.0	60000.0	720000.0	100.0
Labour	Casual workers	monthly salary	3.0	20000.0	60000.0	100.0
Plant material	wood	tonne	3360.0	1200.0	4032000.0	100.0
Plant material	water
Other	permit		1.0	20000.0	20000.0	100.0
Other	electicity	amperes	180.0	267.0	48060.0	100.0
Other	water	litres	54000.0	0.8	43200.0	100.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology					4923260.0

4.8 Most important factors affecting the costs

Describe the most determinate factors affecting the costs:

Weather conditions may affect transportation of wood due to poor rural road condition
Power outages

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

Indicate if the Technology is specifically applied in:

• not relevant

5.3 Soils

5.4 Water availability and quality

Is flooding of the area occurring?

Ja

5.5 Biodiversity

Comments and further specifications on biodiversity:

Marigat is heavily invaded by Prosopis which have out competed native vegetation and grasses, threatening biodiversity.

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

5.7 Average area of land owned or leased by land users applying the Technology

5.8 Land ownership, land use rights, and water use rights

Land ownership:

• communal/ village

Land use rights:

• communal (organized)

Water use rights:

• open access (unorganized)

5.9 Access to services and infrastructure

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Production

Income and costs

Socio-cultural impacts

6.2 Off-site impacts the Technology has shown

6.3 Exposure and sensitivity of the Technology to gradual climate change and climate-related extremes/ disasters (as perceived by land users)

Gradual climate change

Gradual climate change

	Season	Type of climatic change/ extreme	How does the Technology cope with it?
annual rainfall		increase	moderately

Climate-related extremes (disasters)

Hydrological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
general (river) flood	not well

6.4 Cost-benefit analysis

How do the benefits compare with the establishment costs (from land users’ perspective)?

How do the benefits compare with the maintenance/ recurrent costs (from land users' perspective)?

6.5 Adoption of the Technology

• single cases/ experimental

Of all those who have adopted the Technology, how many have did so spontaneously, i.e. without receiving any material incentives/ payments?

• 90-100%

Comments:

Although traditional charcoal production is widespread among the households in the community, the eco-friendly power generation technology has been adopted by only one private farm due to the initial high cost of acquiring machinery to carry out the operations

6.6 Adaptation

Has the Technology been modified recently to adapt to changing conditions?

Nee

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
Fast and efficient means of producing charcoal compared to traditional technologies as it produced 3 times the amount of charcoal from the same quantity of wood within 16 hours compared to 1 week.
Readily available raw materials at affordable price
A reliable source of income to the community members

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Environmentally friendly technology of utilizing Prosopis weed with reduced number of point sources for air pollution.
Improved community well-being through assured high income from the sale of Prosopis wood compared to their initial practice of tideous traditional charcoal burning and sale.
Potentiality in sustainably managing Prosopis / invasive species if integrated with other restorative land management strategies.

6.8 Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks of the Technology and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
Poor roads and power shortages during rainy seasons hinders transportation of wood and charcoal production processes as reliance on a fuel generator increases production costs	Improving the road network
Corruption and associated assault by police during transportation of charcoal to the market.	Establishment of transparent and clear laws on legal requirements related to charcoal production activities
Unsteady regulatory and policy frameworks disrupting charcoal production

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
Unsustainability in controlling invasive species	Integration with other land restoration measures to control re-invasion.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Spatial Evolution of Prosopis Invasion and its Effects on LULC and Livelihoods in Baringo, Kenya. Mbaabu et al. 2019.

Available from where? Costs?

https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11101217

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Experimental prosopis management practices and grassland restoration in three Eastern African countries. Eschen et al, 2023.

Available from where? Costs?

https://doi.org/10.1186/s43170-023-00163-5

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Chapter 12. A REVIEW OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR THE CONTROL OF INVASIVE PROSOPIS TREES

Available from where? Costs?

Forthcoming (Schaffner et al. 2024)