INTRODUCTION

James Finlay (K) Ltd Finlays is a diversified agri-business that takes a leadership role in sustainability. The group has established itself as a reliable, responsible, innovative and sustainable producer with a deep knowledge and passion for its products. Sustainability is fundamental to the group’s success and it lies at the heart of what Finlays does and stands for. It is Kenya’s largest agricultural export group employing over 21,000 people and annually exporting over 300 million stems of flowers, 7 million of vegetables, 26,000 of black tea and 3 million of tea extracts. The organization is located in Nairobi, Naivasha, Kericho, Mt. Kenya and Mombasa and works with 1,200 vegetable out growers and 10,000 tea out growers.

AERIAL ROPEWAY CONVEYANCE TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSPORT TEA GREEN LEAF FROM TEA FIELDS TO THE FACTORY

The Ropeway is a new concept of transport of materials by means of conveying them using a cable anchored and running along towers. The use of ropeway conveyance to transport green leaves from the estate to the factory has provided an alternative and environmentally friendly transport system as compared to the conventional road transportation. This technology has drastically reduced the cost of transport and generation of green house gas emissions. So far, the use of ropeway transport has seen a reduction of Lorries from 6 to 2.

30kW (Kilowatt) grid connected PV system for the ropeway house

Ropeway drive housing unit

Solar Panel UnitThe design of the solar photovoltaic (PV) system for Kitumbe has been adapted from conventional European systems in order to function with the less reliable Kenyan electricity grid and to provide a more cost effective electricity supply to the farm.

A tracking system consisting of 12 tilting tables of 5 panels each will be mounted adjacent to the fixed system. Finlay's has provided a point of connection to the 415V three phase system adjacent to the installation. The system will ensure a consistent power supply to the drive motor (rated 75Kw-100HP)

Absolute Indicator Change (%) Change (%) Change (%) Relative Indicator Change (%) Change (%) Change (%)

year 1 year 2 year 3 year 1 year 2 year 3

Resource Use     Resource Productivity    

Energy Use -10 -24 -28 Energy Productivity 0 -9 0

Materials Use -22 -33 0 Materials Productivity 15 4 0

Water Use -49 -65 0 Water Productivity 75 2 0

Pollution Generated     Pollution Intensity    

Air Emissions (global warming, CO2 eq.)

21 -37 -62 Carbon Intensity 34 -10 -12

Waste Water  -49 -65 -73 Waste-water Intensity  -43 -50 -43

Waste -71 -45 0 Waste Intensity -68 -21 0

Product Output -10 -30 0        

30kW (Kilowatt) grid connected PV system for the ropeway house

Ropeway drive housing unit

Social and Economic Benefits

• Reduced cost of transport- A cost benefit analysis of the project between the months of December 2012 to August 2013 showed a net benefit of ksh.23,674,739. This is approximately Ksh2,630,567 per month. The total capital investing is Ksh.60,000,000, therefore giving a payback period of 2 years. This is a huge financial benefit with better returns being anticipated in the future if more feeder streams to the main supply aerial conveyor line will be made.

• Employment – Additional technical and non-technical workers have been employed to operate the system. At the moment, the ropeway facility provides further direct employment for at least 40 people.

Social and Economic Benefits

• Environmental Conservation- The aerial ropeway conveyance technology was installed to reduce the fleet of vehicles used to transport green leaves from the estate to the factory. This technology centers on reduction of traffic on the roads in and around the catchment areas. This leads to reduced carbon generation, reduced cost of road maintenance and reduced environmental degradation by use of heavy motor vehicles. The carbon intensity has reduced by 10% from the base year 2011 compared to 2012. With planned expansion of feeder streams, a further withdrawal of motor vehicles will be implemented and therefore generation of carbon dioxide will be further reduced.

Social and Economic Benefits

• Reduced accidents- A reduction in traffic on the neighboring roads and the reduced safety hazards associated with this.

• Reduced cost of roads maintenance- The cost of road maintenance has been significantly reduced.

• Improved road condition: The company is funding the construction or improvement of existing feeder roads to the leaf shelter collection points. In many cases building leaf collection sheds has also meant constructing or improving access roads to supplier tea farms. With reduced motor vehicles using the roads, there is less degradation of roads and also better accessibility.

Social and Economic Benefits

• Education: With improved savings both in terms of leaf transportation, reduced fuel consumption and road maintenance costs, the company was able to inject some of its profits in social responsibility to the community within which it works. This included the construction of a new block with an office and two classrooms plus staff quarters for Marinyin Secondary School. Many local children have benefited from the new facilities. Several other schools within the estate have been supported with improvements to their facilities and ongoing budget assistance for basic repairs and maintenance. Savings were also used to sponsor children of employees and also those from neighboring districts to go to colleges, universities and other tertiary institutions.

• Healthcare- The company has upgraded the facilities of a heath center within the estate where this facility is located. This facility supports employees, their dependants and also neighboring communities. The company pays the salaries of a clinical officers, nurses and support staff.

END