Zimbabwe – HURUNGWE RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL

The Solar jet ban is a modification system placed on the rocket ban furnace system which aid in the blowing of coal to achieve complete combustion of coal during tobacco curing. In this case solar energy is used to power a blower that provides a jet of air to the furnace. A thermostat regulates the temperature of the ban through regulation of speed of the blower. When the temperature inside the ban drops, the fan is triggered to blow more air to raise the temperature and the opposite is true. The battery keeps energy to power the fans during the night to ensure continuity of the curing process.

This good practise has greatly assisted in the reduction of deforestation as coal is efficiently being utilised unlike in the previous situations where a lot of firewood was required to light the coal and used together with coal throughout the curing process.

This project aims to ensure that complete combustion of coal is achieved during tobacco curing stage and also to reduce deforestation activities in the district during tobacco curing season through efficient utilisation of coal.

Hurungwe district is one of the major producers of tobacco in the country. This has put pressure on the existence of the tree resource as it provides energy to cure the tobacco. The small scale farmer is faced with dwindling supplies of fuel wood for curing tobacco whilst coal is currently being made available to them by some contractors. Though having a higher calorific value than wood, coal burns with difficulty and inefficiently without the use of a forced draft.

An efficient combustion system limits the discharge of environmentally unfriendly gases. For example methane, and carbon monoxide. These are a threat to global warming phenomenon. Solar system connected to a back-up battery has the potential to cure tobacco at 74 percent combustion efficiency. On average 4kg coal is required to produce 1kg of cured tobacco leaf.

The project is being jointly implemented by Council and Carbon Green Africa through a joint venture partnership which aims at conserving biodiversity under the Community Climate Biodiversity Standard (CCBS). This standard acquires credits through implementation of projects that assist in conservation like the community gardens, bookkeeping, conservation farming and the solar jet ban.

This project has, of direct beneficiaries, benefited 11 participants, 24424 indirect beneficiaries and 15 online beneficiaries, which makes the total of 24450 in all. The Zimbabwean Government allocated a total amount of $70 000 to this project. In kind contributions amounted to $10 000. The total budget for the project altogether is $80 000.

Since Hurungwe RDC is a leader in the implementation of gender issues, in the beneficiaries of the project 50% were females to achieve the 50/50 campaign. In various projects which council is undertaking which include the bamboo project, the distribution is hinged on 50/50 so that everyone is empowered. Ever since its demonstration, many individual farmers are willing to purchase their own systems as they testify that it greatly assist in this current situation were forest have depleted and the only way to go is coal and solar energy.

The main challenges encountered were high cost of purchase of equipment ($700.00). Many small scale communal farmers cannot afford to purchase the equipment due to poverty, hence need for intervention by partners in this area of operation to augment these noble efforts to conserve. Lack of resources to carry out awareness campaigns meetings and trainings workshops on the use of this technology in the district. Councillors have assisted in the spread of this technology in their respective wards but there is need for the technical team to effectively address these matters.

In this project women have been empowered as indicated by the equal sharing of the available solar jet systems between men and women on a 50/50 basis. Women are not spared from collecting firewood for tobacco curing; hence the introduction of this technology ensures that no more firewood collection time can be budgeted as only coal answers the whole process of tobacco curing. This leaves women with more time to do their daily chores and engage in other income generating projects like gardening, which assist in bringing livelihoods to their homes.

Sparing of trees will also ensure that more carbon credits can be obtained from their conservation works, thus more revenue is generated for the community to undertake other projects which brings development. For instance, borehole drilling and rehabilitation, purchase of drugs for the local clinics to ensure a healthy community.

“Nowadays women can plant tobacco without fearing that someone might come and cut it off, since now they have solar jet systems. With the solar jet system they do not need firewood, they use coal,” says Obey Chimeramombe who is a farmer.

This has created an opportunity for women to undertake tasks that were usually meant for men which mainly is of tobacco curing. Previously logs were to be ferried to the furnaces which demanded a lot of strength which men would automatically provide, but in this instance just putting coal in the furnace and switching the solar system doesn’t demand much thus power relations have shifted.

Attitudes have changed especially for farmers who had lost stock of their sources of firewood, they had stopped their thing of growing tobacco, but with the introduction of this system most farmers has shifted their attention back to tobacco growing.

Council has adopted the use of this technology and is in the process of crafting bylaws that enshrine the use of this technology for sustainable development. Contracting companies in their MOUs which they sign each year suggestions have been incorporated so that they can empower their contacted farmers slowly recovering the cost of purchase.

This practice can be sustained and amplified through coalitions and partnership as the practice is good but the cost attached may hinder its sustainability and amplification. Also tobacco contractors can be engaged to include this system on their credit facility on contracted farmers but on a more relaxed payment system.