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Press Review: Landless young in Kenya turn to beekeeping & A biofuel project in Kenya helps stop deforestation

January 07, 2014
tags:#Africa, #agriculture, #bioenergy, #biofuels, #deforestation, #Ethiopia, #farmland, #Kenya
located:Ethiopia, Kenya
by:Rebecca Silus
Rising life expectancy, soaring population, and land degradation have created a national crisis in Ethiopia in which young people have no land to inherit or farm.

With youth unemployment at 30%, many are forced to take on dangerous work or go abroad where they often work in domestic servitude. The NGO Farm Africa recently invested £31,000 in beehives, which it donated to landless young people interested in producing the country’s highly regarded white honey. To date the organization reports that the program has helped many achieve independence and make a sustainable wage that can feed their families. [The Guardian & Farm Africa]

A new project initiated by the Kenya Forest Service and the Africa Development Bank helps schools in Kenya install and run their own biogas plants, which produce alternative fuels for cooking and energy. Known as Green Zone Development, the project grew out of a response to the deforestation caused by the country’s dependence on firewood for fuel. Reports say that the schools involved in the project have been able to cut their firewood usage in half. The program is looking to expand to 20 more institutions across Kenya. [Christian Science Monitor & African Development Bank]

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Rebecca Silus
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