Jatropha Biofuel

In collaboration with VerdEnergia (see their webpage and Facebook page), the Choza joined a regional experiment to produce a local source of fuel for the Puriscal community.

As part of Annie’s fellowship at the Choza, Annie befriended VerdEnergia and learned of the Jatropha Biofuel project. Jatropha (also referred to as ‘tempate’) is a deep rooted, nitrogen fixing plant that produces oil rich fruit. Planted on contours of a hilly area and creating swales, Jatropha’s deep roots can assist to alleviate erosion; in addition, its nitrogen fixing properties can create fertile soil for other crops. After approximately four years, the Jatropha produces fruit that can be delivered to a biodiesel location close to VerdEnergia in Lanas. There it is pressed to extract oil which is then converted into biodiesel.

VerdEnergia teaches contour planting and permaculture techniques to local farmers. With a farmer’s commitment to cultivate Jatropha, VerdEnergia will donate a permaculture engineer’s time to view the site, layout a plan for contour planting, donate the seeds and fencing (if necessary) while the farmer plants the seeds and cultivates the land. Additionally, VerdEnergia has designed the biodiesel manufacturing plant and is teaching local mechanics how to convert a diesel truck to biodiesel, giving the region an indigenous source of fuel for their transportation needs.

Over the past few years, 120,000 Jatropha trees on 35 different farms have been planted. The Choza has approximately one hectare of Jatropha planted during Annie’s fellowship and we continue to care for the plants in anticipation of cultivation and harvesting in 2013.

In the words of VerdEnergia:

The need to reconstruct the jungle in Costa Rica is extreme. Thousands of farms are dissolving into the rivers and oceans. Developing a plan that will benefit people as well as the environment is the only answer. Families in the countryside have few options that will support them. Many turn to cattle or logging for income, which only accelerates the loss of vital eco systems and erosion.

Our vision is to help keep farmers in control of their land while building the feed-stock needed for a successful bio fuels program. Too many times in the past business has forgotten to take care of the people and the land. Now is the time to rebuild the small farm and the communities around them. With only a couple of farms in a small community producing Jatropha oil, all of their energy needs can be met. Removing almost completely the need for foreign sources of polluting petroleum products.