Mining land could be converted to agriculture land for biofuels and livestock production

In South Africa, mines are closing and mine rehabilitation companies and agricultural industry organizations are looking into converting the mines to commercial farming. The hope is to replace the lost mining jobs with new jobs in agriculture and utilize the former mine lands for food, livestock and biofuels.

The conversions won’t happen quickly or easily, however, with different mine lands having very different soil compositions, climate, water contamination, and other things to consider for any agricultural use to be considered. Plans are expected to be finalized by the end of this year based on recommendations and analysis conducted by Agreenco and Agri SA who are both interested in the land conversion potential. Both companies believe energy crops used for biofuel production are highly viable for the rehabilitated mine land.