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Rwanda Vegetable Oil Uplift Project |
We are starting
the process of
setting up a network of Multi Functional Rural Fuel Platform based operations
in Rwanda to implement and roll out the vegetable oil uplift
system throughout
the region.
The first step is to build a production MFRFP Platform that can be shipped
to Rwanda and put into operation to ensure that we have all the right
components on the Platform. The planning for this first production
Platform is underway right now and we will be keeping a build log on-line
at this URL to document its progress.
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Why are we doing this project? |
Vegetable oil used as a diesel fuel replacement has the potential to
transform the prospects for many poor, unskilled rural people in Rwanda.
Converting vegetable oil into a direct diesel fuel replacement enables a
rural community to produce a valuable commodity that can be sold on the
world market. Producing a direct diesel fuel replacement means that the
fuel can be produced in large enough quantities to make a significant
economic impact on rural communities without ever approaching the volumes
that could reduce the price of diesel fuel on the world market.
For
example, in Rwanda, over 40,000 unskilled people could hand pick enough oil
seeds to replace over 20 million gallons of imported diesel fuel in Rwanda per year.
This volume represents a significant portion of the 50 to 100 million
gallon per year estimated volume of diesel used in Rwanda every year. 4% of Rwandan's 26,798 sq km of total land area would produce
approximately 20 million gallons of
vegetable oil and in the process provide the economic
mechanism that can support clean water and electricity for more than 400
rural communities.
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Ideas we would like to try in Rwanda |
The
Coffee Bike and the
Full Belly
de-husker seem like a natural pairing. Putting a simple de-husker on
the back of a Coffee bike would enable Jatropha seeds to be dehulled in
the fields and the fruits put back on the fields to aid fertilization. The
Coffee bike would enable the oil bearing seeds to be easily transported to
the MFRFP Platform by the farmer and enable each farmer to harvest an
economically viable quantity per day, see pictures below:
The photograph was taken by Full Belly photographer Rex Miller. of http://www.rexpix.net care of Wikipedia
Tom Ritchie, Jock Boyer and all the Project Rwanda team are
leading the effort to bring the first MFRFP Platform to Rwanda. World
Vision is the NGO on the ground that potentially will be the NGO helping us for the national roll out
should the first Platform be successful.
http://www.projectrwanda.org
http://www.woodenbikecoffee.com
http://www.worldvision.org
Links of Interest for Rwanda
