Fossil Fuels for Africa: An interview with Jusper Machogu
A young Kenyan farmer explains the true cost of 'sustainable living' and calls for realistic solutions to allow Africa to develop.
This week’s Collapse Life podcast provides a stark and unfiltered look at the realities of life in rural Kenya. We spoke with
, a 29-year-old farmer and agricultural engineer who believes Africa needs fossil fuels to develop and achieve agricultural success.Instead of ‘Just Stop Oil’, Jusper campaigns to ‘Just Stop Toil.’
So we are out there plucking tea, weeding maize, planting maize, harvesting maize, and we have to depend on the muscle to get the work done. So it's a lot of work. So that's why I'm saying ‘fossil fuels for Africa’.
Jusper’s frustration is palpable as he compares the agricultural efficiency of places like the United States, where only 2% of the population is involved in farming yet the country has a surplus of food, to that of Africa — where 60-70% of the population is engaged in agriculture but people still struggle to feed themselves. He attributes this disparity to Africa’s lack of mechanization and the minimal access to affordable synthetic fertilizers, both of which are heavily dependent on fossil fuels.
Jusper's grassroots campaign, ‘Fossil Fuels for Africa,’ is grounded in the belief that expanded access to energy, particularly from fossil fuels, is crucial for the continent's progress. Juxtaposing the current use of cow manure and its poor nutrient density for crops, he advocates for the use of far more efficient synthetic fertilizers to boost agricultural productivity, mechanization to reduce the physical burden on farmers, and infrastructure development to support economic growth. He also emphasizes the importance of clean cooking solutions, such as LPG (propane), to reduce the reliance on firewood and charcoal, which contribute to deforestation and respiratory illness.
While the debate about climate change and fossil fuel phase-out is complex, Jusper’s firsthand, on-the-ground experience and insights provide a critical perspective. We’d love to hear your thoughts on Jusper's campaign. Watch the video above and share your feedback in the comments.
Thanks for having me
They are suffering the effects of the struggle against Marxism. Not from the Russian or Chinese but from the battle that is going on in the west. A huge portion of the "environmental" agenda is not really about the environment but merely using that as a banner to push for Marxism.
From the Western perspective, the undeveloped world is two things.
Firstly, it is a cheap source of materials. Unlike the past history of colonialism, the west has figured out it is a lot easier to prop up dictators to manage things rather than going in with force to build a colony. Instead of sending in troops with weapons, all they have to do is send the weapons and let the dictators handle the rest. That way, they can just sit back and extract the resources by paying the dictators at a great discount and pretend that they are not interfering and are not responsible for what goes on. Of course when the dictators are well armed, the only option for many people is just to flee. That is the majority of the people are that are flooding into the west as refugees.
Secondly, they see the people in those countries as just another of the species in a combination theme park and zoo. They really don't see the humans as people, they are just another exhibit to curate and maintain. Any development is fought with the same fervor as protecting the environment of the chimpanzee and gorilla from the impact of "the modern world." It is OK to go there and enjoy the safari experience but their current way of life must be maintained.