Sugarcane Production in the Tana River Delta Region in Kenya - Case Study Example

THE PROPOSAL OF SUGARCANE PRODUCTIONIN THE TANA RIVER DELTA REGION IN KENYA Name Course Tutor Date Introduction The total number of countries that produce sugar is about 120 accounting for 180 tonnes of sugar annually. 80% of sugar is produced from sugarcane and the rest from sugar beet present in the temperate regions of the world. Brazil is the largest producer of sugar accounting for 25% out of 75% that is produced by the top ten largest producers (SUCDEN, 2015). Raw sugar is the most traded over its white sugar counterpart (SUCDEN, 2015). The increase in the word’s population is very beneficial to the sugar industry as almost every household uses either sugar or consumes it indirectly in other products. The developing countries account for 67% of the international sugar consumption and is projected to be the primary source of demand in the next decade (SUCDEN, 2015). The global consumption of sugar rises with 1.5 to 2% annually being controlled by the rise of middle income population, shifting dietary patterns and population growth. This is to mean that there has to be some effort to increase the supply through increased production so as to meet the rising demands. The worldwide sugar trade averages at 46 million tonnes annually, with 12 million tonnes being raw sugar (SUCDEN, 2015). The market is controlled by preferential trade agreements as well as some of the international bodies charged with standard control in the sugar industry. The first step in sugar production involves washing and crushing of the sugar canes to extract sugarcane juice (Healy, 2013). The juice is then purified and evaporated until it crystalizes and then the crystalized sugar is refined, separated and then packaged for the market (Healy, 2013). In the process of manufacture, there are some by products that also result and have economic importance as well (WWF, 2015). Sugarcane production have various environmental impacts such as air pollution, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, water pollution, land pollution, and reduced oil fertility among others (WWF, 2015). View Point of a Local Elder The Tana River Delta region is known worldwide as a home for a number of wild birds. Besides it being a home for the wildlife that are endangered, the local residents also depend on the river and its banks for the source of livelihood (Healy, 2013). It is eminent and intuitive that when there will be a plantation set up both sides will benefit as well as loose. However, looked at from another angle, the villagers are likely to lose some of their livelihood because the factory set up will lead to the deterioration of the environment (Temer, 2012). First off, when the sugarcane plantation is set up most of the pastoralists who live in the region will lose land to pasture their livestock (Temer, 2012). The pastoral communities who depend on livestock as their source of income will be at a loss. These communities include the Orma, Somalis and the Wardei communities (Temer, 2012). With the facilities for Tana Delta Sugar infrastructure the distance to grazing lands will be increased and further expanded with the drought periods leading to loss of economic value of the range lands. The local communities will also lose the trees of medicinal values together with indigenous trees that are used in beekeeping, source of wood and charcoal for fuel thus the perturbation of the local livelihood systems (Temer, 2012). Despite the compensation that might be availed, the cost of the natural resources cannot be evaluated and effectively compensated for. Secondly, the pollution of both air and water resulting from the smoke and the agrochemicals respectively will cause the death of many water species such as fish and crocodiles that form the major delicacies of the locals (Temer, 2012). The locals will have to incur high costs that will result from the urbanization. View Point of the Producer The proposed production of sugarcane in the Tana River Delta region will be very beneficial to the Kenyan Government and the World in general (Healy, 2013). The production costs of sugar will be reduced since the whole project will involve a factory for sugar, power plant and ethanol in the same vicinity as the plantations. Within the region, the communities are currently engaging in pastoral activities which are short-lived and have no fixed income (Healy, 2013). With the introduction of the sugar plantation, the population from the communities will be able to provide accessible labour (Temer, 2012). This will be able to boost the income of the pastoral communities and also diversify the sources of income for every household as well. The whole projects infrastructure will also be beneficial to the local communities in that there shall be construction of dikes and consequent relocation of those who live in the floods prone areas to better lands (Healy, 2013). The project will also support some of the cultural practices of the local community through the establishment of finds to support the conservation efforts meant to maintain the diversity of the animals in the region. The project is also timely as the human-wildlife conflicts that are prone in the region shall be eliminated. The production of sugar in Tana Delta shall take shorter periods than the other parts of Kenya being that it is located on the dry lands. This will ensure the supplementation of sugar for local consumption and export purposes boosting national income (Temer, 2012). The labour force that is employed will have assured income and thus boosting their purchase power. This will ensure economic gain of the region and corresponding reduction of poverty. The social amenities such as schools and infrastructure will also open up the region for more developments and lure investors as well. View Point of a Prominent Kenyan Politician The project will open up the area for development. First off, at the beginning of the project when clearing land, the locals will be able to get employment, up until when the firm is set up and running (Mireri, Onjala & Oguge, 2008). This will not only boost the income of the locals but also of the County in General (Mapes, 2009). More investors will be able to spot the area and invest in some industries that use sugar as one of their raw materials such as the confectionery industry. The facilities that are built to support the project shall also be a source of revenue for the County and the National Government (Mapes, 2009). Most real estate developers are also likely to spot the region and develop houses for the employees as well as other people who are likely to move in the region. The land value in the region will also rise as a result of very many property developers storming into the region (Mireri, Onjala & Oguge, 2008). As it is well known, the impacts of the project will be far reaching to the locals (Mireri, Onjala & Oguge, 2008). Therefore, it is essential that proper forms of compensation be given to the locals whose lands shall be taken for the development of the sugar plantations and industry (Mapes, 2009). Being that there are negative social and economic implications both for the country and the local communities in general, a committee should be set up to evaluate the best methods and forms of compensation to ensure that there is transparency. Even when opting for the development of the projects, the national government should engage both stakeholders to ensure that the biodiversity that is hosted in the region is well taken care of. Most importantly, there should be the engagement of the environmental bodies so that a way forward is forged (Temer, 2012). To ensure that the project does not stall like many others, transparency should be the key driving factor in all the developmental steps of the project. Conclusion and Recommendations There are different views of various parties that are either direct or indirect beneficiaries of the proposed project. As can be seen the local communities are likely to lose a lot but on the same time also gain. An interplay between the economic and social benefits of the proposed project are visible in the viewpoint of the politician and the producer. As Kenya strives up the development ladder, the institution of the project will be timely as it will increase the revenues of the country and the County in general. However, for the effective realization of the project without harming any sides there are some factors that need to be considered. First off, there should be proper planning to ensure that the rapid rate of urbanization does not result into the growth of informal settlements. The government should therefore ensure that the communities get the best form of compensation that will cater for the loss of livelihood. There should be some impact assessment prior to rolling out the project to ensure that where possible alternative steps are taken to eliminate the loss of biodiversity. The areas that are of conserved wildlife should be exempted from the project and out growers used instead to supplement such areas. When using chemicals in the farms, a choice of those that are biodegradable should be the leading criteria (Healy, 2013). The project should not only be seen from the negative perspective but also from the other side since it will be able to promote local tourism and ecotourism as a result of infrastructural development of the region (Healy, 2013). The project will also set part some revenue for the development of the cultural practices of the locals as have been done in Brazil (Healy, 2013). Overall, the project should either be suspended being that the impacts are more than the benefits. Alternatively, should the project continue, there should be some forms of compensation to balance either sides. References Healy, H. (2013). Ecological economics from the ground up. London: Routledge. Mapes, K. (2009). Sweet tyranny: Migrant labor, industrial agriculture, and imperial politics. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Mireri, C., Onjala, J., & Oguge, N. (2008). The Economic Valuation of the Proposed Tana Integrated Sugar Project (TISP), Kenya. SUCDEN. (2015). World Sugar Consumption, Statistics - Groupe Sucres et Denrées. Retrieved from http://www.sucden.com/statistics/4_world-sugar-consumption Temper, L. (2012). Let them eat sugar: life and livelihood in Kenya’s Tana Delta. Barcelona, Autonomous University of Barcelona. WWF. (2015). Sugarcane | Industries | WWF. Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/sugarcane. Read More