Short Description:
Haiti imports virtually 100% of its petroleum needs, with the remaining energy provided by charcoal, which has led to massive deforestation. The country needs a source of renewable energy that includes investment in the rural economy.  Jatropha Pepinye was founded to address this need, based around the potential of the plant Jatropha Curcas, which has seeds that are 27-40% oil and can be processed into a high-quality biodiesel fuel.

Background:
Numerous programs to reforest the country have been implemented by international organizations, but have failed to be sustainable once the organizers leave.  The country has conditions that make it ideal for harnessing wind and solar energy, but needs investment in the rural economy in addition to capital-intensive investment.

The Jatorpha Pepinye (nursery) was created in 2007 in Terrier Rouge, Haiti.  This effort evolved out of the conflux of Irish entrepreneurial interest in corporate social responsibility, fostered by Digicel and Ernst and Young, and the grassroots work of Partners in People and Place (www.peopleandplace.org).  People and Place has been working in Terrier Rouge in since 2002 in concert with the Petites Planteurs de Nord Est (farmer association) to improve the energy and agricultural situation in Terrier Rouge.

The Petite Planteurs de Nord Est are a group of 800 farmers plus who control over 3700 hectares of abandoned agricultural land on the Plantation Dauphine in NE Haiti.  The 30,000 hectares of the plantation, complete with a company town, grew sisal for over 50 years, finally closing completely in 1974.  There is not sufficient water for sugar cane or most food crops, so the land has been used for free range cattle and small subsistence plots since that time.

In the fall of 2007, the People and Place team, including two agronomists from the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, and the Irish Entrepreneurs combined their efforts to create the Jatropha Pepinye.

Jatropha Curcas is cultivated extensively for pure plant oil (PPO) as feedstock for biodiesel fuel production in India and Africa as well as a number of Caribbean nations.  PPO is also being used without any processing for lamps and stoves in Africa.  Once planted, jatropha curcas requires little moisture, grows in poor soil conditions, is excellent for erosion control and animals, including goats and cows won’t eat it after it is three months old.

Detailed Description:
The two major goals of the Jatropha Pepinye are:

1. Energize the rural economy with an emphasis on domestic agriculture using native perennial plants including Jatropha curcas (locally called gwo medsiyen in Haitian kreyol) without reducing food production.
2. Improve the Haitian environment by preventing erosion, lessening the reliance on imported fossil fuels and locally produced charcoal thus reducing deforestation and emissions.

To accomplish these goals, the nursery focuses is in three areas:

1. Sociology:  Educate and train the local populace about the opportunity afforded by jatropha curcas and how best to plant, intercrop, prune and harvest it.  Also test programs to ensure the small farmer receives the necessary support during the period from initial planting to commercial harvest, a two to three year period.
2. Science:  Collaborate with other organizations and individuals to improve the knowledge and yield of jatropha curcas, including planting, pruning and harvesting jatropha seeds.  To this end, the nursery is currently working with the University of Florida and a Haitian biogenesis. 
3. Sequestration / Ecology: Help to shape the certification of jatropha curcas for carbon sequestration and carbon credits, creating another income stream for the farmers of the Petites Planteurs de Nord.

Cultivation of the Jatropha Curcas plant has already begun.  The next steps of the Jatropha Pepinye project include exploring all parts of the value chain to figure out how to maximize economic opportunities for the local population. As the plant becomes more plentiful, forging of a public-private partnership to run a transesterification plant for biodiesel production that can be sold for local power generation is envisioned.

Team structure:
Total of 8 students with 2 sub-teams.

Resources available to student project team:
Kathleen Robbins, Director of Clean Energy, Green Microfinance LLC

2nd year Booth students who will serve as mentors the 1st year project team

Timeline:
Fall and Winter Quarters.

Deliverables:
PowerPoint presentations, business plan write-ups with financial models and market analyses.

Useful resources:
Jatropha World Series:
http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatropha/

Jatropha World Summit
http://www.magenta-global.com.sg/Jatropha09//

Columbia University Engineers Without Borders
http://www.cuewb.org/uncategorized/p3