Is there a role for biotechnology to protect eco-systems and biodiversity?

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Is there a role for biotechnology to protect
eco-systems and biodiversity?

• Prof Jocelyn Webster

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Sustainable development in Africa

• Within the context of sustainable development
  (improving the quality of human life while living
  within the capacity of ecosystems), Africa needs
  to focus on
• provision of sufficient affordable nutrition.
• improving access to affordable and effective
  health care
• protection of the African environment
• creation of jobs and the reduction of poverty.

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Biobased Economy
Conventional
Fossil energy
Landfill or incineration
Process
Product(s)
Non-renewable feedstock
Waste
Biobased
Biomass
Bioproduct(s)
Bioprocess
Renewable bioresource
By-product(s)
Recycle into bioresource
Georg Anderl, 2003
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Biofuels
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Why Biofuels? And Why Now?

• Long term outlook for crude oil prices bleak
  especially Peak Oil scenarios
• Protection of the environment
• Cleaner fuel specifications will result in less
  toxic metals, organic pollutants, particulates
  and gaseous emissions
• Sustainable use of arable land, together with use
  of advanced farming practices
• Job creation potential of biofuels, particularly
  in 2nd economy
• Now
• Because vulnerability to crude oil prices has
  never been this high
• Because unemployment and critical skills gap has
  never been this high
• Because a growing economy needs to use its
  resources sustainably
• Because of climate change concerns

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What is Biofuel

• A natural liquid fuel made from renewable
  agricultural resources
• Generally blended with conventional fuel
• Can be used in existing engines and fuel
  injection equipment without modifications
• Causes no perceptible differences in engine
  performance
• Improves the properties and quality of
  conventional fuel

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Environmental Benefits

• Contains no sulphur
• Reduced hydrocarbon emissions
• Reduced CO emissions
• Reduced particulate matter
• NOx emissions not influenced
• On a life cycle basis produces 78 less CO2 than
  conventional diesel
• Non-toxic
• ? An environmentally friendly fuel

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Case study South Africa
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Benefits of Biodiesel Production for SA

• Environmentally friendly fuel through indigenous
  production
• SA is signatory to the Kyoto Protocol
• Energy security and diversification
• Contributes to regional economic development
• Creation of employment opportunities (1,500 jobs
  for 100 ktpa plant)
• Immediate positive impact on BoP and increasing
  over time (gt R1 billion)
• Positive cost-benefit ratio
• Strengthen domestic, rural agricultural economy
• Gives farmers a viable alternative to e.g. maize
• Assists in remedying protein deficiency import
  substitution

• Recognising these benefits the SA govt has set a
  Renewable Energy target of
• 10,000 GWh by 2013.
• Biodiesel is highlighted as one of the key
  opportunities to achieve this goal.
• Focus area of AS-GISA initiative

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Feedstocks
Starch contents
Maize (White or Yellow) 75
Wheat (Animal grade) 60
Sorghum
72
Bitter Sorghum 78
Casava 28
Sugar cain 28
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Maize Production in South Africa
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Maize Production, Consumption, Exports and
Surplus in RSA 1999 to 2005
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Maize Surplus in the Future
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Kernel Composition
3 - 12 Oil
10 - 35 Moisture, other
6.5 - 15 Protein
8 to 12 Fiber
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1 TON Maize

420 litre Ethanol
20 litre Bio-diesel
300 Kg DDGS
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Local Market in 2015
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Case study South America
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Biofuels and sustainability
The capacity of global oil reserves is extremely
limited, with their exhaustion forecasted to take
place within 40 and 50 years. This justify the
current attempts to produce fuels from renewable
energy sources, like biofuels., as well as the
global demand of environmental preservation and
focused on the quality of human life on the
Planet.   Brazil is a world leader by promoting
the production of sugarcane fuels, more
technically and economically viable. Each
hectare of sugarcane produces 8 thousand liters
of ethanol, equivalent to 60 barrels of oil. The
energy production is equivalent to 50 of the
countrys oil consumption. This system captures
20 of Greenhouse emissions from fossil fuels.
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Sugar cane value chain exploring new
opportunities for biotechnology Brazil as a
case study
7 million ha 72 thousand growers
360 mills destillaries (Operation projects)
Harvest 400 million tons
SUGAR 28 million tons
ETHANOL 20 billion liters
BAGASSE

Bioplastic
Future markets
Ethanol
Carbon credits
Derived
Food
Lysine
Pharmacy
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ETHANOL - 2005 Status
Brazil has 60 million ha planted with all sorts
of products Sugarcane area 6.0 M ha 3 M for
sugar and 3 M for ethanol (only 5) Production
420 M t Yield 85 t/ha Ethanol yield 8 k
L/ha Ethanol Production 18 Bi L
40 of our liquid fuel comes from agriculture,
and therefore, it is renewable. Brazil is a model
Employments 1 million (direct) and 2,6 millions
(ind.)
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Physical Productivity Comparison
Production of ethanol from SC spend less energy
and is cheaper
Need of ethanol for 2020 includes additional 20
Mi ha of sugarcane or 700 Mi ton of cellulosic
biomass.
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Brazilian agricultural resources
200 million hectares are used for pasture. 90
million of which are ready for agriculture. Out
of such 90 million, 22 million are ready for
sugar cane.
Is untrue to affirm that the increase in the
production of sugar cane will affect the
production of other types of food One can
multiply by 7 the existing area used for sugar
cane for ethanol and by 3 and ½ the area used for
sugar cane in Brazil we would still have 70
million hectare left for the production of other
types of food.
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Biofuels and Biotech possibility to improve
productivity of lands
New GM varieties developed by Brazilian private
and public companies 60 more sugar, IR and
HT In 10 years, with the double of ethanol
productivity per hectare, Brazil will produce
over 15 billion in the same areas used
nowadays. Near Future GM varieties also
resistant to abiotic stress (dried lands),
symbiotic Nitrogen fixation

• And...
• Enhanced performance of yeasts, resistant to
  ethanol, etc.
• - Utilization of Cellulosic Biomass can be made
  only with Biotechnology

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Evolution of flex fuel car sales (2005)
There is a great increase in the demand of
ethanol 80 of cars sold in Brazil have a FLEX
engine they run on both gasoline and ethanoll)
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Well-to-wheel GHG emission reduction potential
Contribution of biofuels for Green House Gases
(GHG) emission reduction
Source IEA/OECD 2006
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BRAZILS BIODIESEL Potencial capacity of
different raw materials
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Biodiesel
60 from Soybean
Cotton
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Increased possibility for small farmers from the
Northeast of Brazil Possible model to Africa
Castor Oil (mamona)
Palm oil (dendê)
Jathopra
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Biodiesel

• To achieve economically successful production of
  biodiesel, we still need massive investments in
  research and development to speed it up the
  current trends of its learning curve.
• And here, again the full deployment of
  biotechnology can also contribute significantly
  to its success.

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Global Warming Biodiesel versus Diesel emissions
of Green House Gases and particles
Source EPA
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Challenges of the Global Warming and the
agriculture in dry lands

• Few available water
• Excessive heat
• Saline soils
• Weak soils

• Biotech is a strong ally for environment
  conservation, and it can be used with the
  objective of reducing the global warming effects

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Drought Tolerant Maize
to generate drought tolerant crops
Hydrated
Dehydrated
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How biotechnology can overcome these challenges?

• 1. Reducing the use of agrichemicals
• ? reduction of costs
• ? reduction of environmental impact
• ? reduction of fuels and water
• ? reduction of emission of CO2 by transgenic
  crops, due of its compatibility with the direct
  tillage method, which ensures the preservation of
  the soil.
• The reduced use of agrichemicals from 1996 to
  2005, added to other resulting factors, led to a
  reduction of more than 9 million tons of CO2
  released to the atmosphere, which would be the
  same as all cars in the city of São Paulo stopped
  for a year.

In Brazil, previous results from GM cotton
cultures study, showed a reduction of 0,9 to 2,6
million liters of diesel and 153,6 to 460,7
million litters of water in 512 mil ha in
2007/2008. Besides, it is considered a potential
reduction of 3.416 t CO2 emission in the
atmosphere.
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How biotechnology can overcome these challenges?
2. Improving the tolerance to abiotic stress
drought, salinity, heat limiting factors for
agricultures of poor quality areas.
Fungi from the Dead Sea capable to live in
extremely salty enviorement Aspergillus
versicolor, Eurotium amstelodami, Eurotium rubrum
and Cladosporium caldosporoides
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How biotechnology can overcome these challenges?
3. Improving the quality of products increase of
foods shelf life Improving the nutritional
quality of foods increase of vitamins and
proteins. Producing commercially valuable
industrial and pharmaceutical compounds in plants
increase of the value of ag-products adapted
for each region
More Vitamin A
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Thank you for listening!Slides from Ethanol
Africa and CBI Brazil have been used in this
presentation

• Prof. Jocelyn Webster
• Executive Director, AfricaBio
• africabio_at_mweb.co.za
• Tel [phone]

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Address by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to
African Leaders at the AU Summit in Banjul,
Gambia on 5 July 2006

• Africa had much to be proud of BUT there are
  still many hurdles to overcome.
• For example
• Extreme poverty continues to increase
• HIV/AIDS continues to outpace our efforts to halt
  it
• Food security continues to elude us
• The environment continues to degrade
• Youth unemployment continues to rise
• The conflicts continue to outrun efforts for a
  solution
• Many Governments continue to suppress free
  elections and a free press
• Many Governments continue to practice or tolerate
  corruption
• Natural resources continue to be exploited for
  the benefit of a few

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Hunger Map of the World

FAO
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Role of Agriculture in Africa

• 50 - 75 of the labor force is involved in
  agriculture
• 70 of the population depends on agriculture as
  its sole source of income
• Africas cereal production is the lowest in the
  world - 1.7 tons/ha. compared to the global
  average of 4.0 tons/ha.
• 25 of all grain consumed in Africa is imported
• 40 of all crop yields may be lost due to
  post-harvest damage
• The population will double to 1.5 billion by 2025
• Most African countries depend on agriculture for
  their foreign currency earnings

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Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa

• Only South Africa (1) has commercial plantings of
  GMOs
• Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa and
  Zimbabwe (5) have reported field trials with GMOs
• Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana,
  Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia,
  Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania,
  Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe (20) are
  engaged in GMO research and developmentInformati
  on as of July 2006

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Application of GM Crops to Food Security in
Africa Using SA as a Case Study

• As another tool to produce more food e.g. maize,
  soybean
• As a tool to generate cash that can be used to
  purchase food
• By growing a cash crop e.g. cotton
• By supplying an industry e.g. biofuel

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GM Maize in South Africa(Results from
independent study Un. Reading UK)
Conventional Maize Bt Maize Herbicide Tolerant Maize
Yield (kg/ha) 518 620 750
Length of Storage (months) 5 9 6
Quality Average Better Quality Average
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Maize Stalk Borer
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Comparison of Yield from Bt and Non Bt Maize
Plots at Pankop (June 2006)
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What is Coming that will have Benefits for Food
Security and Health?

• Drought tolerance maize
• Crops suitable for industrial applications e.g.
  biofuels, plastics
• Modified cassava and cowpea
• Health benefits in oil crops
• Allergen free peanuts

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Factors Determining the Future of Biotech in
Africa

• Proactive policy - political will
• Africa deciding for Africa-trading partners e.g.
  EU countries not negatively influencing decision
  making
• Biosafety legislation and institutions
• Ability to assess the technology for ourselves
• Scientific capacity building
• Ability to appropriate and adapt biotechnology
• IPR regimes
• Protect and encourage private investment
• Public awareness and acceptance
• Credible competent communication

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• Agricultural GM technology is here to stay
• It is currently underutilized, despite its
  specific appeal to a wide range of farming
  systems
• Biotechnology and biosafety legislation and
  regulations need to be comprehensive but not too
  costly or restrictive
• Negative influence from trading partners has
  affected Africa

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www.cib.org.br www.biotecpragalera.org.br
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