The Jatropha System - an integrated approach of rural development

The Plant Oil Project was successfully initiated at Makosa Mutoko, Zimbabwe in 1996 by BUN-Zimbabwe. Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the plant oil project is expected to provide income, provide alternative manure and be an ecologically friendly source of alternative energy to rural farmers. Makosa is fortunate to have the oil plants in abundance. The plants have traditionally been used as a live fence or hedge around homesteads and gardens and are called “jirimono” in several parts of Zimbabwe.

The objectives of the project are the utilisation of the Jatropha Curcas Linn (JCL) plant (physic nut in English) as a source of oil for use as fuel for domestic and industrial purposes, and finding other uses of JCL. BUN originally facilitated the acquisition of three oil expellers (two manual, one motorized) from local manufacturers for processing the seed into oil. The oil is intended to be used in soap making and to a lesser extent in lamps for lighting purposes, substituting paraffin which is the usual lighting fuel in rural homes.

The residue from the seed cake which is a good organic fertilizer is under investigation, with promising initial results.

The community has received training in the use of the oil expeller and oil extraction is in progress at Makosa. In addition six women from the community underwent training in soap making. After training they formed a soap making group and it has shown early signs of viability. The soap which lathers well, is of good quality and cheaper than most soaps.

Since the establishment of the venture, it has provided the community and other surrounding areas with laundry soap. The women’s group has opened a savings account with a commercial bank in Mutoko. Improvements in soap quality are still underway, backed up by tests on samples sent to the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.

Lamps to utilize JCL oil as a fuel have been designed which have a lower fuel burning rate than paraffin lamps. The lamps operating on different wick mechanisms are easy to make.

The trial use of JCL cake as an organic fertilizer was successful in 1998, showing the value of the cake as manure. Trials will be conducted to determine the optimum application rate.

It is hoped that as the demand for JCL oil grows, more people will grow the hedges, contributing to income generation through sale of seeds, and improvement of the environment. The project is expected to grow and become a more commercially oriented venture owned by the community. The Project hosted 19 Zambian trainees (farmers, NGOs and civil servants) sponsored by GTZ Zambia, and numerous Zimbabwean and international visitors and trainees.


JCL Oil Press based on Sundhara design 2 JCL Oil Press installed at Makosa in 1999 by BUN (Photo BUN 99)	One maize field showing the impact of JCL presscake applied to the portion on the left hand size vs. cowdung on the right side. (Photo BUN 1999)