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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Sirona Fuels Partnership




Posted on www.sironacaresblog.com 4/6/2009:
Things move very quickly with Sirona and last month we had a noteworthy meeting that is only now making it into my blog. We met with Adarsha Shivakumar, Apoorva Rangan and Callie Roberts of Project Jatropha. Although the three members are very young, all students at the College Preparatory School in Oakland, they have accomplished much of what we are attempting to do in Haiti. It was a fantastic opportunity to collaborate and exchange knowledge on farming in developing countries.

In an effort to save the environment and alleviate rural poverty in southern India, Project Jatropha has presented farming jatropha as a desirable substitute for tobacco farming to farmers in southern India. The process of drying tobacco leaves destroys the environment by causing massive deforestation. Project Jatropha traveled to India and forged relationships between Parivarthana, an NGO involved in rural poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and sustainable rural development and Labland Biotechs, a biotech lab that produces highest quality jatropha seeds and seedlings. This collaboration has already led to the planting of jatropha and the beginnings of change for this community. In addition, Project Jatropha works with high school students in India to raise awareness of what Jatropha can do for a community that needs to wean itself from tobacco farming.

Sirona is happy to collaborate with Project Jatropha. We will partner with them and assist them in any way possible, and we have already received valuable information for our farmers in Haiti through their connections in India. In August we plan to travel to India together to see how far our collaboration can take us.

Michelle Lacourciere
Director, Sirona Cares
sironafuels.com