【Environmental Protection】Expanding lemon grass production and Carryout harvesting and delivery of lemon grass to the distiller

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Regarding ‘Environmental Protection through Expanding Lemon grass growing and Education in Uganda’, this is the eighth report of 2nd year of this project.

Off loading newly delivery lemon grass

This time, ‘Activity 3.8: Expanding lemon grass production and carryout harvesting and delivery of 20 tons of lemon grass to the distiller’ was conducted from June 2018 to March 2019. This is a continuous activity that repeatedly required every 60 days during rainy season.

Purpose:

The purpose of this activity is to ensure continuous supply of raw lemon grass for eventual distillation of essential lemon grass oil. It also aims at providing a source of livelihood to lemon grass farmers. This is because the farmers are able to earn some income that is provided by SORAK every time raw lemon grass is harvested from the farmers. It also indirectly contributes to environmental protection. This is because lemon grass provides a grass cover to the soil hence preventing soil erosion which is common on hilly plateau landscapes of the project area.

Activities:

1.     Arrangement of collecting schedule and informing farmers to harvest.

2.     Hiring a collection truck and a driver.

3.     Mobilization of farmers/make appointments and agree of harvesting date and time.

4.     Travelling to villages to collect lemon grass

5.     Loading and delivering lemon grass to SORAK lemon distiller shade.

6.     Spreading the lemon grass while in shade to wither for 4-7 days before distilling.       

Filling gunny bags to spread the grass for withering

A bulk of delivered lemon grass

Distillation in process, bending after supervising 

the emptying of the distiller pan

Outcomes:

1.   Provided an opportunity to farmers to generate income.

2. Motivated farmers to grow lemon grass for income generation and also to help in protecting the soil from agents of soil erosion. More farmers started growing lemon grass as a soil erosion control grass but on a small scale.

3. Production of essential oil from distillation for selling and creating soaps or candles.  SORAK was able to produce 8 liters of oil every time and we harvested 12 tons of raw material every 60 days.


You can find the details in the reports below,

→Activity 3.8 Expanding lemon grass production and carryout harvesting

*This project is supported by Japan Fund for Global Environment of the Environmental Restoration (JFGE) and by Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency (ERCA)

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