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On the road to carbon credits and helping people in need
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Moving the World 11 November 2009
The aim of this cooperation is to build a sustainable local business model to fight hunger and boost the Malawian economy. The fundamentals of this model will give Malawian smallholder farmers a sustainable cash crop in addition to their food crops. They will grow and harvest Jatropha and create a reliable source of income as well as protection against hunger. The landlocked Malawian economy will obtain access to locally grown fuel and TNT will benefit by taking up on its hunger agenda while at the same time obtaining access to an extensive source of carbon credits it might be able to use in obligatory carbon trading schemes.
Jatropha is a high yielding, bio-fuel crop. Jatropha can grow almost anywhere, and is therefore suited for planting in areas where food crops cannot grow. However, to ensure that this potentially high-income crop does not replace the farming of food crops in the communities the UN World Food Programme monitors the project continuously.
The Jatropha crop has several advantages:
- Grows in the poor stony, sandy and saline soils where food crops cannot grow
- Has an extremely low water requirement and can withstand long periods of drought
- Prevents soil erosion and shifting of sand dunes
- Produces seeds already 16 months after planting and for up to 25 years
- High yield of bio-fuel production of up to 1000 liters oil/ha
- Harvest period does not overlap with that of traditional food crops
- Jatropha bio-fuels can replace fossil fuels and thereby decrease CO2 emissions
Achievements and future outlook
Within the first year, the partnership has resulted in the planting of six million Jatropha trees in Malawi. 10,000 farmers have been involved in this work, all of whom have received and look forward to an annual additional income.
The future outlook of this project involves the planting of over 100 million trees in total in the period until 2015. Although TNT’s emission reduction activities are focused on bringing back the impact of its own operations by looking at alternative technologies and business models with regards to it’s transport and buildings, the BERL acquisition is promising to become a best practice example of how climate ambitions and support for developing countries can go hand in hand.
About Bio Energy Resources Ltd.
Bio Energy Resources Ltd. (BERL) is a Malawian private limited company promoting the planting of Jatropha as feed stock for the production of biodiesel. BERL was established by a group of concerned people interested in alternatives to rural development and the potential commercial opportunities that they provide. BERL cooperates with local forestry staff in the public, private and NGO sectors to maximize efficiency and provide support to Jatropha farmers.
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