Innovation in the cultivation of jatropha promoted to spur production of biofuels
San José, Costa Rica, January 17, 2012 (IICA). Through genetic breeding, the identification of suitable agroclimatic conditions and the application of sustainable cultivation and harvesting technologies, jatropha curcas could become a profitable and efficient source of biofuels in Latin America and the Caribbean, without its production competing with food security.
With this in mind, specialists supported by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Cooperative Program for Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation in the South American Tropics (PROCITROPICOS) will analyze the future of jatropha production in the region.
Orlando Vega, an IICA Agroenergy and Biofuels Specialist, explained that in 2011 a regional agenda was drawn up to focus research and development (R+D) efforts on jatropha curcas, a non-edible plant from the Americas which yields raw material for biofuel and biokerosene.
He stated that the areas in which R+D would be promoted at the regional level were genetic breeding, agricultural practices, floral synchronization, post-harvest and byproducts, agroclimatic zoning and sustainability.
Each subject will be addressed by a working group, as agreed at two meetings held in Brazil in November and December 2011, attended by growers, researchers and delegates from the member countries of the Latin American and Caribbean Jatropha Curcas Network, as well as representatives of cooperation agencies.
The principal objective of R+D on the production of this oilseed is to make it socially and environmentally sustainable as well as economically viable throughout the value chain, he said.
Lines of work
The widespread existence of jatropha in Mesoamerica will facilitate the creation and operation of germ plasm banks of the plant, which will be used to obtain varieties suitable for the different agroclimatic areas of the region.
A model of this map of climatic suitability is being developed in Brazil by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), one of the leading proponents of the use of biofuels in the world.
The zoning of production would facilitate the preparation of cultivation manuals based on technical criteria related to climatic conditions and the availability of water and soil. In this way, jatropha plantations would not compete with those that produce food.
For Orlando Vega, the existing network, sponsored by PROCITROPICOS and IICA, could become a channel for communication between researchers and growers, to ensure that the results of R+D reach the countryside.
Extension services have become important because, at present, growers use wild species known for their low productivity and yields, added to the fact that they are not profitable for the first two years. This also creates the need to establish a mechanism for defining the prices to be paid to growers, he added.
The transfer of R+D would make the management of the waste generated in the processing of jatropha more sustainable. “At present, only the oil derived from the seeds is being used, which limits the possibility of adding value to its byproducts.”
He added that the creation of associations of small-scale growers, even those at the family agriculture level, could facilitate access to financial resources and make it possible to obtain sustainability certificates.
For more information, contact:
orlando.vega@iica.int
jamil.macedo@procitropicos.org.br