SteamBioAfrica Value Chain Report

Countries across Southern Africa are increasingly suffering from encroachment of native bush overgrowth and of invasive species. This unwanted woody biomass competes with livestock and wildlife for water, contributes to soil erosion, and threatens natural habitats and local savannah ecosystems. However, the cost to clear bush exceeds the immediate benefits of increased agricultural productivity. The EU Horizon 2020 SteamBioAfrica project focused on tackling bush encroachment by transforming the bush and invasive biomass into solid a clean burning biofuel and water and facilitate its value chain development. This report provides a glance into the biomass (charcoal, firewood) market and value chains in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. This value chain mapping and analysis has been undertaken with the objective of promoting and facilitating the commercialisation of the new solid biofuel into the biomass-based markets in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.