In the process of implementation, we learnt the benefits of being transparent brings trust for effective collaboration.
-The engagement of community people through a trusted leader facilitates buy-into the programme.
- Seeming economic downturn has prevented people from being available for free services
-The money for every service has prevented delayed gratification attitude hence no money no services- several community services expected as community input was paid for.
-The involvement of the Federal Ministry of Environment in the project implementation and evaluation processes add move value to the project and provides opportunity for more linkages.


1. Key Outputs, Outcomes and Innovations
? What were the key outputs that make your project stand out and were critical to the success of the project?
The innovation of getting high quality, environmentally friendly ethanol and derivatives from the Moringa substrate is a novel discovery that is worthy of scale up for local, National and international benefits.

? What would you say are the key innovations that make your project stand out and were critical to successful environmental, social and economic outcomes?

1. The popularization of the fast growing Moringa tree whose leaves, stems and roots are very useful in the environmental conservation sector.
2. The generation of useful bioethanol from the Moringa stem.
3. The production of 9 types of aromatic alcohols found suitable for commercial level production from the Moringa substrate.
4. The production of bio-gel for cooking to replace fossil fuel.
5. The production of cooking briquette.
6. The creation of jobs for farmers, the possibilities of more income for farmers.
7. The environmental conservation attributes of the Moringa plant as a good carbon sink.
8. The unique strategy of multi sectoral collaboration to bring gown to town through NGO-Government Departments collaboration that will make value addition to the leaves, stem substrate and roots from the Moringa plant to create wealth.

? How did you engage the local community and key stakeholders to participate in the project?
From the pre project conceptualization stage, we undertook high level advocacy with all the recognized structures at the State, LGA and community levels sharing the story of the numerous benefits of the Moringa plant to generate more wealth and safeguard the environment against the impact of climate change. Visits were made to all the various communities of Akinyele LGA, meeting chiefs and community stakeholders as well as the LGA administrators. State level officers of related ministries of Agriculture, Environment and the Ministry of Women Affairs were also visited.
Similarly, the various research institutes with related mandates for agriculture and Environment were consulted and mobilized for partnership, idea sharing and using their scientific knowledge to work as the project implementation committee members. The media were also engaged and project resources were shared with all to achieve project outcomes in a transparent manner.

? A 13 week episode of phone-in radio education was undertaken and aired to at least 1million people including residents of Osun, Ondo and Ogun states in the local language. Many phone calls from those state generated interests and people still ask for those products of gel and briquettes.
? Routine training and meetings for farmers.
? The maintenance of a Moringa farmer s cooperatives members and the larger community updated about development and the expected outcomes of the project deliverables.

? What were the principal positive aspects of the project?
Mass impact on climate change as a carbon sink and sustainable livelihood project that is relevant to the current call for low carbon resilient climate change activity for Africa. The engagement of both men and women including youths make

? What were the principal deficiencies of the project?
The principal deficiency was the unavailability of paid full time microbiologist and biochemists to work on the project within the project budget. They were only available to work at their convenience.
The location of processing centre in the village with poor access road and the non-availability of a distillation machine needed to achieve a commercial level production was a major hinderance.The cost of the machine is beyond the scope of the project. There was also a scarcity of quality gelling chemicals which had to be ordered from abroad. There was also a need for several technical hands that had to work on the project simultaneously to turn it into a regularly functioning production centre.

? Products generated by the project: (Please list all the products generated by the project, give brief description on what, how, why, when and their uses. Give the quantity and quality of the products and any other useful information about the products. Please provide high resolution photographs of these products)
? The project was able to produce Moringa plantation in member?s farms ? 15 ha of Moringa Oleifera plant was planted within the LGAs to act as regular source of raw materials for the industry.
? Leaves for sale to producer of tea and powder.
? bio-ethanol for production of bio gel
? moringa bio gel for cooking.
? Cool stoves (God Bless Nigeria Stove)


? List and discuss any innovative idea, product, process developed during this project?
Our innovative research has proven that bio gel can be produced from Moringa stem sawdust. However the large scale production requires some high level technology that will yield the high volume of ethanol needed to meet household level consumption.
This will give include grand development benefits to be gained from expanding access to modern energy services. This modern energy services will help reduce poverty and play a critical role in improving educational opportunities for children, empowering women and promoting gender equality. The availability of such clean energy is important to reduce child mortality that will further reduce exposure to pollution. The Moringa ethanol bio gel produced does not change the taste of food. The intensity was high and cooked fast.

Environmental Impact
? What measurable impact has the project had in terms of environmental protection since the beginning of the project? Where possible, please provide statistics and numbers that document the change or impact of the project over time.
-The cultivation of the plant which has the ability to sequestrate carbon in high dosage is a strong positive environmental impact. Technically the 15 ha of Moringa planted should have sequestrated a lot of co2. Moreover farmers in Akinyele have undergone low carbon farming training and no longer burn bushes as part of land preparation.
- the use of the erstwhile wastes component of the fast growing plant in the production of low carbon briquette which produces little or no smoke thus contributing to carbon reduction from fossil fuel use.
Also an increased demand for the gel will make more impact when available at a higher commercial quantity and will reduce carbon production ?thus shifting more community members to buy-into Moringa bio gel use.
-Nine additional alcohol variants found from the distilled Moringa substrate butane and other types has potentials of generating alternate means to current chroroflurocabon (CFC) currently used in the refrigerant industry.

? What has been the secondary benefits?
-Job creation along the entire value chain of farmers, processors and factory workers.

? (Biodiversity) Have species, habitat or ecosystems been protected through your work? If so, please describe
No
? How does your group measure the environmental impacts?
-The scientists from the FRIN came to visit the farm and were able to calculate the amount of CO2 sequestered using data metrics that are globally compliant.

? Discuss the impact of project in the GEF focal area:
This project has created a massive awareness about climate change and popularized GEF activities. People in Nigeria have received more knowledge of what they need to know and do about climate change. Radio education for 13 weeks talked about Climate change, and what to do to prevent further damage to the environment. Farmers were mobilized to plant trees especially the fast growing drought resistant Moringa Oleifera tree to generate raw materials for food security, and sustainable renewable energy source for those using fossil fuel.

? State the size of land/forest restored and or protected during this project
Some 15 hectares of land have been restored as farmers planted using low-carbon farming technics as trained, while stepping down in their local communities.

? Describe (give facts and figures) the outputs on climate change achieved by the project
1. Project worked on identifying the suitable yeast strain for production of ethanol identified as ASPERGYRUS NIGER.
2. Over 750,000 Moringa stand planted on 15 ha of land within Akinyele LGA
3. A Moringa cooperative society formed with men and women members who plant and sell their Moringa to processors of tea and stem for bio gel production.
4. Only 20 liters of Moringa ethanol produced and used for research purposes and cooking demonstration- while research is still on going for large volume production.


? Please indicate the number and hectares of Protected Areas that were positively influenced through this project. Project has mobilized planting of 15 hectares of land in Akinyele area.

? Please indicate the number and hectares of Indigenous Community Conserved Areas that were positively influenced through- Same as above.

Akinyele LGA is a homogenous group of Yoruba people living in harmony with Migrants from other parts of Nigeria.

? Please indicate the number and name of sustainably produced biodiversity and agro biodiversity products supported through SGP:
Moringa Oleifera plant is the only plant of focus on this project. The short pod specie that was recommended as suitable for the Moringa ethanol has been popularized for cultivation by Moringa farmers and seeds supplied to farmers
? Please indicate the number and name of significant species with maintained or improved conservation status through projects:
This is not relevant to this project. However, the moringa farmers were also introduced to the orange flesh potato vines as alternative means of crops for sustainable livelihood to intercrop with their Moringa farms.

Socio-economic impacts
? What measurable change has there been in local incomes and job opportunities? (change in average household income, job creation, revenues, livelihood diversification, livelihood/income diversification, market access .etc)
For now, farmers earn income from selling leaves and stems just for initial experimentation to determine how much an acre of Moringa will yield in terms of sales. What profit margin when he deducts cost of Labour etc. Hopefully, there will be sure and ready income for farmers who will supply several metric tonnes of Moringa stems to the processing centre.
Leaves of the same harvested stem will be sold to the tea producing company. Moringa farmers also have increased income selling the leaves and stems and seeds while awaiting large scale sales of stems for bio gel production.

Moreover, the crushed wastes have been found a useful spawn for growing medicinal mushroom which when properly harnessed can also yield extra income for the people. This is also to be further explored from the learning?s from recent visit to the AGIDE NGO in Togo on how to use the Moringa wastes to generate organic fertilizer and bio-insecticide for income generation opportunities.

? Where possible, please provide statistics and numbers that document the change or impact of the project over time.
No study has been commissioned to measure in statistical details the outcome of the project.

? Have there been secondary benefits? (Investments in infrastructure, poverty reduction, higher awareness, etc.)
Yes. More people planting and eating Moringa. They are also interested in the bio gel production.

? Have revenues from the project been reinvested into school fees, hospitals, local infrastructure, etc?

Yes, many of them easily paid mandatory school fees, eat better, consume the Moringa tea and powder and have better health status. Periodic health checks of Blood pressure, blood sugar are taken during the cooperative monthly meeting.

Policy Impacts
? In what ways has your initiative advocated for policy change?
LIFEBUILDERS attended the 11th and 12th National Council Meeting on the environment and made contributions at the climate change thematic group to influence policy advocacy for government support to farmers on cultivation and processing of Moringa, The need to scale up the bio gel production and assist with subsidy to provide 1million cool stoves to Nigerians in rural area.
Prayer presented was adopted by the Council. Ongoing efforts to make Moringa beverage, biofuels available at subsidized price to the populace continues.

? Has there been success in influencing policy at what level (community, institution, municipal, regional) and what were the critical factors that made that success possible?

LIFEBUILDERS continues to popularize the mandate of at least a Moringa plant per household to use the leaves for dishes. While government institutions are encouraged to do more research around the plant for its numerous benefits? For example our advocacy to FIIRO resulted in the production of enzyme useful now for all kinds of fermentation.

Yes, LIFEBUILDERS participation at the ECW held in Lome, Togo created opportunity to make input to GEFs policy on Scale up of successful projects within the sub region.