The savannahs of Namibia and thus also the pastureland are heavily affected by scrub encroachment. With bushes spreading excessively over grassland, livestock farming and feed production are severely restricted. . Wild animals are also affected by scrub encroachment as they lose their food source or are restricted in their hunting practices. 

The causes for the enormous bush encroachment over the past decades include overgrazing, the suppression of field fires and the increasing parcelling up of land, which restricts the large-scale movement of herbivores. As a consequence, Namibian society suffers in crop failures, economic losses and social problems. So far, there has been a lack of sustainable and feasible solutions to effectively tackle bush encroachment and fully utilise the cleared bush biomass. This is due to the hard wood of the Namibian savannah, the limited operational readiness of machines due to the environmental conditions and the lack of local maintenance structures.

The ButoVal project has now presented the bush wood utilisation plant that is able to process already bundled bales of cuttings by shredding, debarking and sorting, thus preparing the material for further processing steps. The material can then be used to produce charcoal, wood pellets, wood chips or biodiesel, for example. For rural regions, this utilisation means opportunities for energy supply, employment and education. In addition, the cleared land can be used again for livestock farming.

The pilot plants developed by the ButoVal project team will serve as data basis for a feasibility study and will be further adapted to prepare for commercialisation. 

On the occasion of this project milestone, the comprehensive innovation approach of the ButoVal project is highlighted in detail in the current FONA newsletter. You can find the article here (in German).

For more information on the project, visit the project website.