backlinks... Community Lifelines Programme Energy

Community Lifelines Programme - Energy Sector - Projects - Village Based Coconut Oil Processing

<<- Back to Community Lifelines Programme Energy - Energy Sector

Generating and disseminating knowledge on community based processing of coconut oil in the Pacific As part of the efforts of the Fiji Department of Energy (FDoE) and SOPAC, Community Lifelines Programme, to assist the village of Nacamaki, Koro, Fiji Islands with developing the village economy by utilising local resources such as copra, a (second) visit was held from 30 March – 2 April 2008. Since the first visit, during March 2007, a feasibility study on the utilisation of locally produced coconut oil for fuel, soap, and oil-based consumer products was produced. This document formed the basis for a proposal to the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, ACP-EU CTA for financial assistance in establishing a mini-mill in the village, combined with a biofuel generator and assistance in production of soap and oil-based consumer products as well as marketing of these products. The CTA proposal “Generating and Disseminating Knowledge on Community Based Processing of Coconut Oil in the Pacific�? was granted funding in December 2007. As the title indicates, the CTA project aims to generate and disseminate knowledge about village-based oil production. Part of the activities in the project is to produce a DVD, web material and radio spots, for which the Media Centre of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has been contracted. In December 2007, it was agreed that FDoE would carry out an energy survey in the village in preparation for the project, after which the community will be consulted on the way forward. During the months of May, the community will be consulted and trained on coconut mill operation, oil production facility management, Energy Service Company management. The Soqosoqo ni Marama (women’s group) within the village will most likely focus on the production of value added products such as cooking oil, body lotion, soap, etc, with training on the production and marketing to be provided from the CTA project. The village contribution will be the construction of the oil production facility building and the provision of in-kind labour during the initial stages of the project. The Fiji Department of Energy will assist in the upgrade of the electrical system of the village, introducing kWh meters, connecting currently unconnected households and replacing the 30+ year old cables and switches. According to the rules of the Fiji Rural Electrification Programme, the villagers will contribute 10% of the total cost of the upgrade while the Fiji Government pays for the remaining 90%. During the consultations with the villagers, it appeared the copra cooperative, the women’s group and the village elders all support the project and want to go ahead. Depending on the local price of copra and diesel, the villagers can choose which fuel to use for their power needs and coconut oil-based value added products will be a significant expansion of the village economic base. Coconut Oil Biofuel Training During 16 and 17 April, a biofuel training was held for technical staff of Fiji Department of Energy and Public Works Department that work with and/or design rural electrification schemes, fitters, and electricians. The programme consisted of a day theory and a day practice. The main resource person was Dr. Gilles Vaitilingom, biofuel expert from Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) The first day started with an introduction after which the general theory of renewable energy and biofuels was discussed. The lecture in the afternoon further focussed on coconut biofuel generator modifications. The second day took place at the workshop of the Public Works Department where three groups focussed on a) injector spray of different fuels at different pressures; b) the operation of an existing dual-fuel generator at the PWD warehouse; c) piston modification for operation on pure coconut oil. A short evaluation at the end of the workshop revealed that the technicians were very interested to learn more about the subject and felt that they at least understand the basis of diesel engines running on local fuels. Community consultation at Nacamaki Village, Koro Island The Institute of Applied Science (IAS) was commissioned by SOPAC to undertake the community consultation for the Koro Biofuel Project. The community consultation will involve two visits to Nacamaki village. After the signing of the agreement in May 2008, IAS undertook the first community consultation for a three day period. The community consultation involved a socio-economic household survey, introduction of the community workshop that will be undertaken in the second visit and focus group discussions with various committees in the village. Consultation with Nacamaki Women's Group The household survey determined household statistics and economics, dependence on land and marine resources and perception on the concerns and benefits of the Biofuel project. It also identifies the range of literacy levels and age distributions within the community to attain a preliminary assessment of the skills level available at Nacamaki village. Copra is one of the 3 main sources of income and with an average household surplus of $40/month after general household expenses, Nacamaki villagers should not have any difficulty in paying for electricity if the metering system is introduced. There is a good acceptance of the whole project and there is more perception of benefits than concerns for the project and the metering system. Relevant Links CTA Biofuel knowledge portal Download related documents Download Full Feasibility Study on Coconut Oil value added products in Nacamaki, Koro, Fiji Islands Download Terms of Reference Project "Generating and disseminating knowledge on community based processing of coconut oil in the Pacific" For more information please contact: Arieta Gonelevu Senior Project Officer - Energy

Contributors to this page: arietag  , atishma  and jan  .
Page last modified on Thursday 10 of July, 2008 [03:31:25 UTC] by arietag .