"The Jatropha System"
Integrated Rural Development by Utilisation of Jatropha curcas
L. (JCL) as Raw Material and as Renewable Energy
This presentation is divided in 5 points:
Introductory remarks
Description of the plant, distribution, ecology
Description of the Jatropha System
Economic Aspects
Strategies to disseminate the know how of the Jatropha System1.
Introductory remarks
This paper contains only some information concerning "the
Jatropha System", just to
understand its potential to contribute to rural development
by its utilization.
A lot of information can be found on the Jatropha website for
downloading: www.sunshineagroworld.co
The economic evaluation of the Jatropha activities in Tanzania
are based on real data. In other countries the Jatropha activities
also show positive economic results, as far as soap making is
concerned. The economic use of Jatropha oil as fuel (direct or
as biodiesel) depends very much on the level of rural labour
costs, as well as on the price of diesel fuel, which is often
substantially subsidized.
2. Description of the plant, distribution, ecology
Jatropha curcas L. (JCL) is a tall bush or small tree (up to
5 m hight) and belongs to the euphorbia family. The genus Jatropha
contains approximately 170 known species. The genus name Jatropha
derives from the Greek jatrós (doctor), trophé (food),
which implies medicinal uses. The plant is planted as a hedge
(living fence) by farmers all over the world around homesteads,
gardens and fieldes, because it is not browsed by animals
2.1 Botanical description
Jatropha curcas L., or physic nut, has thick glabrous branchlets.
The tree has a straight trunk and gray or reddish bark, masked
by large white patches. It has green leaves with a length and
width of 6 to 15 cm, with 5 to 7 shallow lobes. The leaves are
arranged alternately.
2.2 Distribution
Jatropha curcas originates from Cental America.
From the Caribbean, Jatropha curcas was probably distributed
by Portuguese seafarers via the Cape Verde Islands and former
Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea Bissau) to other countries in Africa
and Asia. Today it is cultivated in almost all tropical and subtropical
countries as protection hedges around homesteads, gardens and
fields, since it is not browsed by animals.
2.3 Ecology
Jatropha curcas L. is not a weed. It is not self propagating.
It has to be planted.
It grows well on marginal land with more than 600 mm of rainfall
per year, and it withstands
long drought periods. With less than 600 mm it cannot grow except
in special conditions like
Dormancy is induced by fluctuations in rainfall and temperature/light.
But not all trees respond simultainously. In a hedge you may
have branches without leaves, and besides ones full of green
leaves. The branches contain a whitish latex, which causes brown
stains, which are very difficult to remove. Normally, five roots
are formed from seeds: one tap root and 4 lateral roots. Plants
from cuttings develop only lateral roots. Inflorescences are
formed terminally on branches. The plant is monoecious and flowers
are unisexual. Pollination is by insects. After pollination,
a trilocular ellipsoidal fruit is formed. The exocarp remains
fleshy until the seeds are mature. The seeds are black and in
the average 18 mm long (11 ? 30) and 10 mm wide (7 ? 11). The
seed weight (per 1000) is about 727 g, this are 1375 seeds per
kg in the average. The life-span of the Jatropha curcas plant
is more than 50 years.
Varieties
There are 3 varieties.The Cape Verde variety is the one which
is spread all over the world.
A Jatropha variety in Nicaragua has fewer, but larger fruits.
The yield per ha seems to be the same. A non-toxic variety exists
in Mexico which is used for human consumption after roasting.
It does not contain Phorbol esters. ("This non-toxic variety
of Jatropha could be a potential source of oil for human consumption,
and the seed cake can be a good protein source for humans as
well as for livestock.", Becker et al, 1999).
3. Description of the Jatropha System
3.1 The Jatropha SystemThe Jatropha System is an integrated
rural development approach. By planting Jatropha hedges to protect
gardens and fields against roaming animals, the oil from the
seeds can be used for soap production, for lighting and cooking
and as fuel in special diesel engines. In this way the Jatropha
System covers 4 main aspects of rural development:
promotion of women (local soap production);
poverty reduction (protecting crops and selling seeds, oil and
soap);
erosion control (planting hedges);
energy supply for the household and stationary engines in rural
areas.
The obvious advantage of this "Jatropha System" is
that all the processing procedure, and thus all added value,
can be kept within the rural area or even within one village.
No centralised processing (like in the cotton industry) is necessary.
3.2 Possible Uses of the Jatropha Plant
The Jatropha plant is used as a medicinal plant:
The seeds against constipation;
The latex / sap for wound healing;
The leaves as tea against malaria; etc.
Jatropha is planted in the form of hedges around gardens or fields
to protect the crops against roaming animals like cattle or goats;
Jatropha hedges are planted to reduce erosion caused by water
and/or wind;
Jatropha is planted to demarcate the boundaries of fields and
homesteads;
Jatropha plants are used as a source of shade for coffee plants
(on Cuba);
In Comore islands, in Papua New Guinea and in Uganda Jatropha
plants are used as a support plant for vanilla;
4. Economic Aspects
This is an example of a successful project in Tanzania. The
Jatropha plant is already known by the population since a long
time, but its utilization was limited to the use of the plant
as protection hedge around homesteads and gardens. The seeds
were not used.
The KAKUTE project convinced the Massai women as well as a women
group in Mtu Wa Mbu, both near the Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha,
Tanzania, of the interesting economic potential of this plant.
Especially the medicinal property of the soap makes it interesting
for the rural population. And KAKUTE was able to maintain the
image of the soap to be a "medicinal soap".4.1 Economy
of Small Scale Jatropha Utilization in Tanzania (data from KAKUTE,
2003)
Collection of seeds
Collection of seeds: 2 kg in 1 hour
Sale of seeds: 150 TZS per kgValue added for 1 hour work 300
TZS 0,29 USD per hour
Oil extraction
1,0 hours of work to extract 1 litre of oil
0,5 filtering of the oilInput: Purchase of 5 kg of seed 750
TZS 0,71 USD per litre
Depreciation/maintenance of ram press 0,04 USD / kg
for 5 kg: 210 TZS 0,20 USD per litre
Output: Sale of 1 litre of oil 2.000 TZS 1,90 USD
Total of revenues 1.040 TZS 0,99 USD
Value added for 1 hour work 693 TZS 0,66 USD per hour
Soap making
16 hours work for 252 bars of soap
10 hours for miscelenous work (organising purchase of oil, wrapping
the soap, etc)
1 bar sold for 500 TZS
Purchase of 20 litres of oil à 2.000 TZS = 40.000
Purchase of 3 kg of Caustic Soda à 2.000 TZS = 6.000
TZS
Plasic for wrapping soap = 3.000 TZS
Input: 20 l oil à 2.000 TZS 40.000 TZS 38,10 USD
Plastic 3.000 TZS 2,86 USD
Caustic Soda 15.000 TZS 14,29 USD
Total input 58.000 TZS 55,24 USDOutput: 252 bars à 500
TZS 126.000 TZS 120,00 USD
Total of revenues for 26 hours work 68.000 TZS 64,76 USD
Value added for 1 hour of work 2.615 TZS 2,49 USD per hour
The added value by 1 hour of work of the utilization of the
Jatropha plant can be summarized
as follows:
Collection / harvesting of seeds 0,29 USD
Extraction of Jatropha oil with hand press 0,66 USD
Soap making 2,49 USD5
4.2 Economy of Small Scale Production of Jatropha Oil as Fuel
in TanzaniaProduction and utilization of Jatropha oil as fuel
(price for Diesel in Tanzania in Nov. 2003: 650 TZS) has a positive
result in the economic anylysis, but only, if the raw material
(Jatropha seeds) are not bought, but collected. If the revenues
of the whole process are calculated in respect of the necessary
working hours, an economic benefice is visible:
Extraction with hand press (Bielenberg ram press):
Labour costs:
In reality a rural worker gets about 10.000 TZS per month (technical
assistant in a flower mill), but he will get some extras like
housing, medicine, etc., which is difficult to calculate. Working
6 days a week and 8 hours a day, these are 190 hours a month.
This gives a calculated salary on hour basis of 53 TZS.
Usually it is too much to calculate with 8 hours of work daily,
so we take 6 and get a payment per hour of 70 TZS.
Officially the costs of labour is 1.200 TZS per day of 8 hours.
So 1 hour is worth 150 TZS. To be on the secure side, we calculate
also with 6 hours work per day and get 200 TZS per hour.
Depreciation of the hand press:
Price of the press: 150 USD, capacity: 5 kg seeds/h, lifespan:
5 years;
Throughput in 5 years: 5 years x 10 hrs/day x 6 days/week x
50 weeks = 15.000 kg
Depreciation: 150 USD / 15.000 kg = 1 cent / kg
Costs of the handpress: Depreciation + maintenance = 1 + 1 =
0,02 USD per kg = 20TZS/kg;
Collection / harvest of seeds: 3 kg of seeds can be harvested
per hour (measured in Mali), 5 kg are needed for 1 litre of oil;
i. e. the labour to collect/harvest 1 kg of seeds is:1,7 hours.
Extraction of the oil: Per working hour 1 litre of oil can be
extracted by one person with a hand press. Additionally ? hour
is needed for purifying the raw oil (sedimentation,filtration);.
i. e. 1,5 working hours for the extraction of 1 litre of oil.
Cost factors of oil production: Harvesting/collecting seeds =
1,7 hours/litre
Extraction of the oil = 1,5 hours/litre
Depreciation/maintenance = 0,10 USD/litre
Summary of costs:
Low cost calculation: (10.000 TZS/month, 144 hrs.)3,2 hrs. at
70 TZS/hr = 224 TZS
costs of extraction (costs handpress): = 100 TZS
Total costs: = 324 TZS6
High cost calculation: (1.200 TZS/day, 6 hrs.)
3,2 hrs. at 200 TZS/hr = 640 TZS
costs of extraction (costs handpress): = 100 TZS
Total costs: = 740 TZS
Profit of oil production:
High cost calculation: = 650 ? 740 = no feasibility
Low cost calculation = 650 ? 324 = 276 TZS/litre
Profit per working hour of oil production:
Structure of the costs:
Sale of 1 liter of oil: 650 TZS
./. costs of extraction (costs handpress): 100 TZS
Profit of the sale of 1 litre of oil at the price of diesel fuel
550 TZSProfit: 550 TZS for 3,2 working hours, this are 172 TZS
per houror 0,17 USD per hour
This is almost 3-times the real salary of a rural worker or
almost the official minimum salary of 1.200 TZS a day (which
is about 200 TZS/hr (6 hours work per day).
Extraction with Sayari oil expeller:
Cost factors of oil production: Harvesting/collecting seeds
= 1,7 hours
Extraction of the oil (Sayari) = 150 TZS/litre
High cost calculation: (1.200 TZS/day, 6 hrs.)
1,7 hrs. at 200 TZS/hr = 340 TZS
Extraction 150 TZS = 150 TZS
Total costs: = 490 TZS
Low cost calculation: (10.000 TZS/month, 144 hrs.)
1,7 hrs. at 70 TZS/hr = 120 TZS
Extraction 150 TZS = 150 TZS
Total costs: = 270 TZS
Profit of oil production:??High cost calculation: = 650 ? 490
= 160 TZS per litre
Low cost calculation: = 650 ? 270 = 380 TZS per litre
Profit per working hour of oil production:Structure of the costs:Sale
of 1 liter of oil: 650 TZS
./. costs of extraction (Sayari expeller): 150 TZS
Profit of the sale of 1 litre of oil at the price of diesel
fuel 500 TZSProfit: 500 TZS for 1,7 working hours, this are 294
TZS per houror 0,28 USD per hour6??High cost calculation: (1.200
TZS/day, 6 hrs.)
3,2 hrs. at 200 TZS/hr = 640 TZS
costs of extraction (costs handpress): = 100 TZS
Total costs: = 740 TZS
Profit of oil production:High cost calculation: = 650 ? 740
= no feasibility
Low cost calculation = 650 ? 324 = 276 TZS/litre
Profit per working hour of oil production:
Structure of the costs:
Sale of 1 liter of oil: 650 TZS
% costs of extraction (costs handpress): 100 TZS
Profit of the sale of 1 litre of oil at the price of diesel
fuel 550 TZSProfit: 550 TZS for 3,2 working hours, this are 172
TZS per houror 0,17 USD per hour
This is almost 3-times the real salary of a rural worker
or almost the official minimum salary of 1.200 TZS a day (which
is about 200 TZS/hr (6 hours work per day).
Extraction with Sayari oil expeller:
Cost factors of oil production: Harvesting/collecting seeds
= 1,7 hours
Extraction of the oil (Sayari) = 150 TZS/litre
High cost calculation: (1.200 TZS/day, 6 hrs.)
1,7 hrs. at 200 TZS/hr = 340 TZS
Extraction 150 TZS = 150 TZS
Total costs: = 490 TZS
Low cost calculation: (10.000 TZS/month, 144 hrs.)
1,7 hrs. at 70 TZS/hr = 120 TZS
Extraction 150 TZS = 150 TZS
Total costs: = 270 TZS
Profit of oil production:High cost calculation: = 650 ? 490
= 160 TZS per litre
Low cost calculation: = 650 ? 270 = 380 TZS per litre
Profit per working hour of oil production:
Structure of the costs:
Sale of 1 liter of oil: 650 TZS
./. costs of extraction (Sayari expeller): 150 TZS
Profit of the sale of 1 litre of oil at the price of diesel
fuel 500 TZSProfit: 500 TZS for 1,7 working hours, this are 294
TZS per houror 0,28 USD per hour7
Conclusion:
The estimation (transport costs, storage etc. are not considered)
shows, that the production and sale of Jatropha oil as diesel
substitute is economically feasible.
Using the hand press the official labour costs of 1.200 TZS
are too high to produce the oil at a price below the diesel price
at the pump.
But if somebody declares himself an entrepreneur, who collects/harvests
Jatropha seeds and extracts them with a ram press, she/he will
get a payment of 172 TZS per working hour. Using a Sayari expeller,
the profit will be higher. Even a high cost calculation shows
some profit of 160 TZS per litre of oil, but if the calculation
is done for a one person company, a payment of 294 TZS per working
hour is calculated. This really seems to be a promising business.4.3
Central Hypothesis This above presented calculation might be
different in other countries with lower wages for rural work.
But it also shows clearly, that the added value of Jatropha oil
utilization for soap making is very high and that this is a real
possibility of creating rural income without big initial investments.
Therefor a central hypothesis of the Jatropha System can be
formulated:The Jatropha System creates a positive reciprocity
between raw material/energy
production and environment/food production.i. e. the more seeds/oil
Jatropha hedges produce, the more food crops are protected from
animals and erosion.
Also additional income is created, mainly for women.5. Strategies
to disseminate the know how of the Jatropha System
A strategy to disseminate the know how of the Jatropha system
should formulate different activities on 3 different levels:
A local level, i. e. farmers who plant Jatropha hedges to protect
their crops, women groups who look for income, NGOs which look
for possible actions to support rural development.
These local activities should be supported by know how centres
on a national level.
These centres are supported by a promotion centre which acts
on an international level.
5.1 Local level:On a local level "Jatropha Project Modules" should
be developed, which can be realized by development groups and/or
small NGOs. The centre of such a module is an active women group,
which is engaged to utilize the economic potential of the Jatropha
System.
If Jatropha is not yet available, the project needs a preparatory
time of 4 to 5 years to plant Jatropha and wait for the production.5.2
National level:
On a national level "Centres of Excellence" should
be created in each country. They should play the role of a "know
how centre" and support the implementation of Jatropha activities
by
groups and organizations of rural development.
Such a "Centre of Excellence" is a number of persons
who are familiar with all the aspects ofJatropha production,
oil extraction, soap production and marketing. These persons
have to be up to date with regional development in extraction
technology and marketing techniques ("eco-label").
These persons can easily be invited by some organisations to
start Jatropha projects in their region:
Support of the supply of material & chemicals to projects;
list of suppliers;
Organisation of the exchange of information;
Creation of a national JCL network;Support of the marketing
of products;
Facilitation of credits.
Organization of national workshops;
ooking for wholesale buyers for Jatropha soap and / or oil in
national markets;
Presentation of Jatropha products on agricultural & bio-product
exhibitions (national / international);
Approach of national / international trading companys of natural
products.5.3 International level:
On an international level a "Jatropha Promotion Centre" should
be created, which supports the different "Centres of Excellence" by
various activities:
Publication of available and useful information concerning the
application of the Jatropha know how into the internet. This
internet presence will supply up to date information to all members
of the "Centre of Excellence" and will facilitate the
exchange of information between the "Centres of Excellence" in
different countries.
Organization of a Q & A service;
Creation of a Jatropha network for mutual support and exchange
of know how,including workshops, seminars and visits of different
projects with differentapproaches and in a different socio-economic
environment (capacity building);Publication of Jatropha information
To keep the Jatropha network alive, regular workshops on regional
level should be held, accompanied by some central seminars (capacity
building);
Supply of tools & blueprints & contacts with experts;
The "Jatropha Promotion Centr" can also identify research
topics and coordinate the work on these topics by different organisations
/ universities and distribute the results.
Such topics could be:
Selection of high yield Jatropha plants (seeds, cuttings);
Selection of high oil yield Jatropha plants;
Selection of a pure line of the non toxic variety from Mexico
(edible oil, press cake as animal feed);
Establishment of a seed bank to provide Jatropha projects / initiatives
with high yield and / or non toxic seeds;
Conception of small scale projects, which can be financed by
small donor agencies (modular project system) and executed even
by small NGOs.
Looking for export / import possibilities on international markets;
Presentation of Jatropha products on agricultural & bio-product
exhibitions (national /international); Approach of national /
international trading companys of natural products.