The Environmetal & Humanitarian Benefits of Jatropha Cultivation

The exciting potential of jatropha in combating climate change (the use of jatropha biodiesel results in an estimated 70 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions) is commonly understood. But frequently overlooked are the other significant environmental and social benefits that the cultivation of jatropha brings to the nations in which it is grown – as the case of Sun Biofuels’ operations and experience in Mozambique and Tanzania amply demonstrate:

The Protection of Biodiversity
At their jatropha plantations in both Mozambique and Tanzania, Sun Biofuels has taken scrupulous measures to protect the local ecosystems. The site of Sun Biofuels’ plantation at Chimoio, Mozambique (a former tobacco farm) had been extensively ‘mined’ for its fertility. Until Sun Biofuels’ acquisition of the property, biodiversity was low and natural vegetation sparse. The streams, small rivers and lakeshore that run over the property have been preserved by the company for wildlife. In Tanzania, the company has GPS mapped all areas of biodiversity, identifying indigenous trees, forest and water courses to be protected as conservation areas. Most importantly, areas of natural forest at both the Chimoio site and at the company’s plantation in the Kiserawe region of Tanzania have been protected from further deforestation, largely driven by the demand for charcoal and firewood to which many households have turned as a source of income. As well as protecting the forest areas owned by the company, the company provides, through employment, an alternative income stream – removing the necessity to deforest in the locality. Moreover, the company has implemented a planting programme of native tree species to recover the depleted natural forest.

The Inherent Ecological Benefits of Jatropha
The cultivation of Jatropha itself brings environmental benefits:
•    The rehabilitation of degraded land and topsoil. The action of jatropha’s deep taproot system enables the plant to ‘pump’ minerals from the depths of the  soil to the surface.
•    The sequestration of carbon over the plant’s 40+ year life.
•    Being rain fed throughout its lifecycle, jatropha puts no pressure on scarce water resources.
•    Once established, jatropha requires a limited use of chemicals.
•    Jatropha provides a habitat for wildlife.
•    Jatropha prevents erosion and desertification processes through canopy cover.

The Provision of Vital Employment
Sun Biofuels plantations in Mozambique and Tanzania are located in rural areas that are amongst the poorest in both countries. The survival of the local villages depends on often unreliable subsistence farming. Sun Biofuels has at its operations created just under 1,500 jobs to date for the local communities providing a vital new source of income. As the plantation develops, local communities will be given preferential access to further employment opportunities at all levels. Moreover, outgrower schemes, whereby local farmers will be given the opportunity and training to produce their own jatropha crop, are a fundamental tenet of the company’s strategy.

The Restoration of Key Infrastructure
Sun Biofuels’ operations in both Mozambique and Tanzania have seen key improvements to the local infrastructure including road building (opening up access to essential services such as healthcare and education), the installation of pumping stations restoring fresh, clean water to the local community and the rehabilitation of vital civic buildings including the local school, health clinic, police station and maize mill.

The Provision of Community Welfare
Malaria is endemic throughout Mozambique and surpasses HIV/AIDs as the main cause of death.  Collaborating with EcoSIDA (a Mozambican NGO supported by the Netherlands Embassy, IFC, ILO and DFID), Sun Biofuels have established a comprehensive health based workplace education programme to reduce the prevalent risk not only from malaria but from TB, HIV and AIDs. Health committees, combining company management and local community representatives, are trained by EcoSIDA in best practices in both prevention and treatment. Following the company’s Socio-economic Baseline Survey of its Kisarawe site in Tanzania, the company is currently working with local government and NGOs’ to prioritise community development initiatives.

Sustainability
Underpinning all of the above is the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive’s sustainability criteria for the production of biofuels. These include: a GHG emission reduction performance compared to fossil fuels; the avoidance of deforestation and negative impacts on biodiversity; the demonstrable traceability of renewable products and the promotion of opportunities for employment and regional development especially in rural areas. Sun Biofuels’ social and environmental responsibility is not simply a case of humane business ethics but an essential commercial imperative.