Compost in Mozambique

In 2013 & 2014, under the auspices of the German International Development Agency (GIZ), I was privileged to lead this exciting project in Mozambique.

The goal was to prove the viability of a low-cost, low-tech facility for the production of compost from organic waste, to be collected daily at the main markets in the city.

The key components of the project included:

Concept & Design of Solid Waste Management Scenarios & Solutions in the tropics (starting in Mozambique)
Generic compost yard model and business plan which include seed capital for one further yard in year 2
Agreement with Municipal Bodies and Funding Agency on Planning, Logistics, Finance, Execution and Awareness Initiatives
Designing and conducting participatory Awareness Initiatives for specific audiences (Schools, Municipal Employees, Market Vendors, etc.) with the help of local advocacy groups
Costing and building a prototype composting facility (output capacity; 2 Tonnes/day, creating 30 full-time jobs in the locality)

By December 2014 the seeds had been sown and we had accumulated considerable practical experience with which we refined and optimised the initial concept. Due to funding termination, however, the project could not progress to the operational phase in 2015.

The general concept and business plan remain valid. The low-cost approach would require funding of approx. $10,000 in each of the first 5 years; thereafter the project(s) would be self-supporting. In 2021 we would like to re-launch this project at a yet to be determined urban location in the tropics with the goal of establishing over 2,000 yards, each with 600 Tonnes annual output, by the year 2035.

Annual production of 1,000,000 Tonnes of top-quality compost for peri-urban and rural subsistence farms, with the creation of a total of 60,000 local, full-time jobs, would be a tangible contribution on the part of SoberOasis to the collective recovery of our species in these challenging times…..