Agricultural residues in Benin: opportunities for circular economy
Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO): Study opportunities for circular use of agricultural residues in Benin (Ref IUC: 202205079/ PST22BJ02), initiated in July 2022 through Trinomics B. V. and ACEN Foundation, in association with local consultants in Benin and in cooperation with the IFDC project on Communal Approach to the Agricultural Market in Benin (ACMA).
The study focussed on understanding the potential availability of agricultural residues in the current ACMA focus areas to address circular economy opportunities that could maximise benefits to the region and the beneficiaries in these areas. The study was a broad assessment from available information on agricultural activities with an additional rapid assessment of other available organic residues that could serve as supplementary feedstocks to technical applications. A database was developed of potential Dutch technology providers who were contacted to assess their appetite in future participation in project development using residues and was complemented by the study team’s own technology divisions in the circular agriculture sector.
Five of the most suitable circular project opportunities were selected to undertake a rapid financial feasibility assessment such as to illustrate the potential application and projected return on investment. More than a million tons per annum of available residues identified in the region could unlock multiple investments and project opportunities of different types and potentially resolve key issues in Benin such as access to clean energy and reducing imports of expensive synthetic fertilizers. The results of this analysis show the clear potential of these applications for the region with recommendations to follow some of these through to implementation.
Opportunities
The national production dataset provided information on crops production by department and by commune. The present study analysed results from 2015 to 2021 in the Plateau, Ouémé, Borgou, Donga, and Collines zones of intervention. Cereals, tubers, pulses, vegetables, cashew, palm oil and pineapple were considered in this study. These intervention zones can be considered as the country attic for several crops like cereals, tubers, and pulses. The residues from these zones provide substantial opportunities for circular economy applications. There remains viable opportunity at the farm level to address localised circular and regenerative practices (composting, biogas, vermiculture, agri-protein, etc.), and Benin follows some interesting initiatives in the agriculture-related sector, where thirty such examples were mapped. The country has yet to grasp the full potential of circular economy. Circular Economy Principles also drive the collaborative nature of project development, but many of these examples show there is a disparate and disconnected link between them.
This study addressed more scaled technological applications that can provide greater impact, outcome and economic benefits to a broader number of beneficiaries. Dutch and other global applications were considered addressing the key country problems of energy and unsustainable imports of synthetic fertilizers, and the selected applications included biomass gasification, pellet production, microbial organic fertilizer, thermal cracking, biocoal, and biochar, as well as the potential links between them.
Outcomes
There are undoubtedly substantial volumes of agricultural residues in Benin and several broad financial analyses were presented indicating the potential application and opportunities for Benin. Benin may not yet be adequately positioned to address more complex Biorefinery applications, but in the interim should look to some of the simpler packaged solutions around energy and bio-organic fertilizer production. These do not have huge capital expenditure requirements and indicate profitable paybacks within 1.8 to 4.5 years. The research in this report clearly indicated that access to electricity is a key issue in the country and that a significant spend for the country is in imported synthetic fertilizers. Both issues could be addressed to a significant extent making use of the available agricultural residues in the country.
The main recommendation from this study is that Benin should not be asking if they should be investing in these opportunities, but when.
More information
For more information regarding the details, outcomes and recommendations from this report or for opportunities in Benin, readers are recommended to contact (Dik van de Koolwijk, PSD Advisor, dik.vandekoolwijk@rvo.nl), and access the online versions here.