Farming for environment. ©R.Kessy…2008

What is Jatropha? Jatropha curcas is an oil plant. The botanic name Jatropha is derived from Greek, "Jatras" meaning Doctor and "trophe," meaning Nutrition.

Celebrity tree! The hardy jatropha, resilient to pests and resistant to drought, produces seeds with up to 40 per cent oil content. When the seeds are crushed, the resulting jatropha oil can be burnt in a standard diesel car, while the residue can also be processed into biomass to power electricity plants.

Usage Experts say that while jatropha curcas seeds can be used as fuel for any diesel engine without modification, they are also used in manufacturing of varnishes, illuminants, soap, pest control and medicine for skin diseases. Dark blue dye and wax can be produced from the bark of the jatropha curcas, its stem is used as a poor quality wood while the leaves help in dressing wounds and the roots produce a yellow dye.

Where it grows. Jatropha grows in tropical and subtropical climates. Scientists say that it can grow in the poorest wasteland, generating topsoil and helping to stall erosion, but also absorbing carbon dioxide as it grows, thus making it carbon- neutral even when burnt. A jatropha bush can live for up to 50 years, producing oil in its second year of growth, and survive up to three years of consecutive drought.

Growing jatropha Jatropha oil is an important product from the plant for meeting the cooking and lighting needs of the rural population, boiler fuel for industrial purposes or as a viable substitute for diesel. Substitution of firewood by plant oil for household cooking in rural areas will not only alleviate the problems of deforestation but also improve the health of rural women who are subjected to the indoor smoke pollution from cooking by inefficient fuel and stoves in poorly ventilated space. Jatropha oil performs very satisfactorily when burnt using a conventional (paraffin) wick after some simple design changes in the physical configuration of the lamp.

Jatropha as Biodiesel Feedstock Jatropha is adapted to a wide range of climates and soils. It can grow almost on any type of soil whether gravelly, sandy or saline and thrives even on the poorest stony soils and rock crevices. It is a drought resistant perennial capable of producing oil bearing nuts of sufficient quality for biodiesel production for up to 30 years.

Local advantages Jatropha plant and seeds are toxic, they are not eaten by goats or other animals. This means that a hedge of Jatropha plants keeps the cattle outside the fields where food crops are grown. Furthermore Jatropha plants can provide shadow in harsh conditions, allowing more delicate crops to be grown in between grown between.. Growing, harvesting and processing of Jatropha offers a lot of local labour. Another advantage is the useful application of the remaining press cake in local communities.

Characteristics. The tree grows up to a height of 4 meters, allowing for easy manual harvesting. Generally Jatropha will give 2 harvests per year but depending on the variety and climate can produce up to 3 full harvest a year. It takes two years for 'Jatropha' saplings to begin producing seeds, and they are able to continue producing seeds at least twice a year for 30 years providing at least 60 harvests over its productive lifetime. The seeds are crushed or pressed to extract raw oil, Jatropha seeds are typically composed of about 35% oil ready to be processed into biodiesel.

Productivity Experts say the annual yield per hectare is up to 8 tonnes of Jatropha seed, which contain over 30 per cent oil. At $320 per tonne, this will translate into production of jatropha crude oil worth $768 per hectare per year. Of potentially equal or greater value is the yield from jatropha seeds of glycerin. Up to 7 per cent of jatropha seeds are made up of glycerin, which sells for up to $2,000 per tonne, translating into glycerin sales of up to $1,120 per year per hectare, or total sales of up to $1,888 per year per hectare, experts say.

Refinery alternatives. The non-edible vegetable oil of Jatropha curcas has the requisite potential of providing a promising and commercially viable alternative to diesel oil since it has desirable physiochemical and performance characteristics comparable to diesel. Cars could be run with Jatropha curcas without requiring much change in design.

Reduce poverty now! Plants species like Jatropha that can grow on lands not usually attractive for agriculture and supply raw material for industry, fuels for basic energy services and improve environment are therefore an obvious choice that needs to be assessed carefully and comprehensively.