A sciency look into the future

Dear followers of Project Jatropha,

Jatropha curcas is a remarkable plant that has great potential for biofuel production and will almost certainly be a power player in said industry for some time to come. However, there are other pioneering biofuel technologies that are proving to have great potential: namely cellulosic and algal biofuel technologies. Both technologies have the capacity to produce very large quantities of biofuel, far in excess of what Jatropha or any other first-generation biofuel plant could make; both technologies could theoretically replace a good fraction of the fuel needs of America, as detailed in a recent Scientific American article: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=grassoline-biofuels-beyond-corn#comments. However, such technologies are still at least 10-15 years away due to economic and logistical issues that must be overcome in order to make these sources of biofuel competitive. In addition, it will take some time for those technologies to be perfected so that small, uneducated farmers could afford and operate them. Project Jatropha, on the other hand, is easy to understand among small farmers, and, from a financial perspective, relatively cheap. Regardless, there is a high probability that cellulosic and algal biofuel technologies will be a part of the myriad of ways to mitigate climate change. Until then though, Jatropha curcas and other biofuels such as switchgrass can act as very effective bridge biofuels that can at least partially supply the fuel needs of society.

Sincerely,
Adarsha

A Unique Experience at the Project Site

Hi Readers of our Blog,

I want to share a very interesting story that happened during my visit to the Kirijaji village in the early weeks of my visit. Mosquitoes are one of the BIGGEST problems i faced. If I remember correctly, during the first week of my visit, there was no rain. The land was dry and it was scorching hot, but the good news was there weren't any mosquitoes. After the first week it started raining cats and dogs! Most of the time I was completely wet and I did try using an umbrella, but the second day it gave up on me. My umbrella was swept away by the harsh winds and got stuck in a Banyan tree! The village kids found it very funny, but soon came to my rescue. They asked me if I needed their help to get the umbrella out of the tree. Honestly, I didn't they could help, considering the oldest one was 8. From that day forward, I said goodbye to my umbrella and started wearing my raincoat. Now coming to the point, with the rainfall came the mosquitoes. I had taken all kinds of inspect repellents used for camping. Trust me they are no match for the mosquitoes of Kirijaji! In two days, I looked like as though I had chicken pox. My mosquito bites were itchy, but painful as well. I tried several oral antihistamines and topical creams. Nothing helped! One of senior SHG members', Padmama, a sweet lady came to my rescue. She suggested that I apply the extract of one of the local herbal plants. I looked at her face with disbelief. I was thinking in my mind, how can this leaf heal my mosquito bite wounds, when the powerful, expensive medicated creams given by my doctor didn't do the job. She showed me how to use the leaves, but the method didn't appeal to me. I refused the first day, but my rashes kept on increasing as the mosquitoes bit me more and more. By the third day, I was desperate to try anything. Padmama was patient enough to tend to my rashes. She patiently took the extract and applied it to my bites. She also showed me another plant that which can act as a mosquito repellant. Within two hours, I couldn't believe my own eyes. My rashes had reduced considerably and the mosquitoes didn't bother me at all! No more new bites! If I had the authority, I would have given Padmama a doctorate degree! I don't know the botanical name of the plant. I was just happy my bites were gone! I wish Adarsha was there with me at that time to do a scientific analysis of the plant. Well, there's always next time! :)

~Apoorva

The Overarching Goal of Project Jatropha

Dear followers of Project Jatropha,

As you all know, Project Jatropha is an undertaking that aims to aid poor farmers in the Hunsur Taluk region and alleviate rural poverty and environmental destruction. But it can be said that the real, overarching goal of the project is to provide an example to other members of my generation who think about taking initiatives in their communities. There are individuals out there who undoubtedly have incredible humanitarian or environmentally geared ideas, but who are not sure whether or not to actually take action. Yet, in such a time, when a perfect storm of crises (including, but not limited to the fresh water crisis, peak oil, climate change, poverty, resource depletion, massive amounts of environmental destruction, and overpopulation), there can, and must not be a shortage of good ideas and young people who will take the lead in building the infrastructure of a new, more stable, cleaner, and better earth for us and future generations. We must fix the problems that have accumulated due to the actions of previous generations, but in doing so must also create a better world for future generations. There is no second chance now, because the fate of the world, and all of its inhabitants, be they animal, plant, or human, rests within the hands of this generation. The cost of failure is extinction, but the price of winning is a better world for all, including the future generations. We owe it to them to give them an earth that is more harmonious, instead of a barren, tainted wasteland that we are so close to creating as I speak. Er, type. Actually, post, but you get the point.

Sincerely,
Adarsha

Project Jatropha is Branching Out!

Hello everyone,

This is Callie Roberts, Finance & Fundraising Coordinator, and leader of Project Jatropha's Branching Out Movement. We want to spread awareness and knowledge about more humanitarian causes, as continue to pursue our original goals of helping the environment, as well as the impoverished! While Adarsha and Apoorva were visiting Southern India, this summer, I stayed here in California and started collecting shoes, especially flip flops. Throughout the summer, I collected 2 crates of both new and used shoes and flip flops from my swim club, which I will give to The Flip Flop Fleet, which distributes the shoes to children in Haiti, so their parents don’t have to choose between feeding their children and getting them shoes.

Along with shoes, I have collected about 8 large bags of clothing, which will also be donated to the children in Haiti.

Lastly, through out the summer, I have gathered children’s French books, for Sirona Fuels’s literacy project in Grand Goave, Haiti, which will eventually go in a new library that will be built at the Mission of Hope School. (Exciting Newsflash: Michelle Lacourciere of Sirona Cares has just begun to get the new school and library set up!) In addition, I earned $250 from teaching swim lessons this summer, which I will use to acquire new children’s French books.

It is our goal to continue collecting flip-flops, French children’s books, and clothing throughout the school year to be delivered to India and Haiti next summer. I have also been collecting reading books and workbooks for elementary children for distribution in local areas where there is also a need. I have collected over 300 books and workbooks over the past year.

Project Jatropha has plans to spread news about our project and the issues we are working on with local schools and businesses in hopes of generating more support. We are continuing our Project Jatropha website and this blog, so please leave comments or suggestions! Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for following our blog. We hope that we have inspired you to take action, too. In the end, our goal is to spread awareness about action that needs to be taken, and hopefully take several positive leaps toward tackling the problems.

Much Love,
Callie

Some Pictures:
Callie with some of the clothing she collected this summer!


Callie with one of the crates of flip flops and other shoes! Sincere thanks to my swim team for their generosity!


Callie with 2 boxes of French children's books!

The Pictures of Tobacco Intercropping in the Project Site

Dear Alex,

Adarsha wanted me to post this picture in order to give you an idea of how tobacco intercropping looks like. I hope this helps!

~Apoorva

An important point on Jatropha and its cultivation

The first picture depicts a rain fed crop with no fertilizer on a normal soil.
Picture 2 shows the plants with moderate irrigation and application of fertilizer.
http://emmanuelwrites.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-major-jatropha-project-suffers.html

NOTE: The original article may not be accessible anymore-I keep getting an authorization error everytime I try with Firefox though I'm using a proxy.

This article, as implied in the url, talks about the failure of a Jatropha project due to lack of investors, but emphasizes another aspect of Jatropha that is ESSENTIAL to the whole issue. Jatropha curcas CAN grow in wasteland or marginal lands-however, it will NOT grow enough or produce enough fruit to be ECONOMICALLY VIABLE. Like any other cash crop, Jatropha needs to have inputs-fertilizer, water (these two mainly in the first 2-3 years of the plants life, where it is still in the important growth phase) and maintenance. Farmers cannot expect to get something from no input. I cannot stress this enough (hence the use of capitalization at strategic points)-although Jatropha can grow on poor soils, it needs care like any other crop in order to achieve its full potential. Rest assured, Project Jatropha is having the farmers plant the high-quality seedlings on rain-fed, decent soils and has also provided the farmers with agronomic training to enable them to maximize the seed output of the plants given. It is imperative that wherever Jatropha projects are undertaken, especially in coordination with small farmers, that an emphasis is placed on the need to cultivate the plant if one wants to produce an economically viable quantity of seeds.

Sincerely,
Adarsha