MFC Nyetaa, in collaboration with its partners, has embarked on the implementation of a large-scale 15-year Jatropha-fueled rural electrification project in the village of Garalo in the Sikasso region of southern Mali. This project will set up 1,000 ha of Jatropha plantations to provide the oil for a 300 kW power plant. This innovative project will provide clean, CO2 neutral electricity and other modern energy services to more than 10,000 people of Garalo commune, transforming the local economy. This kind of project represents the new paradigm for sustainable development in Africa.MFC Nyetaa has been actively working on the promotion of the Jatropha plant since activities began in 1999. This interest in the Jatropha plant is underlined by two main observations:1) The Malian environment is fragile and arid, yet Jatropha is resilient and can grow under these harsh conditions. Jatropha can reclaim Mali?s difficult land and restore eroded areas, effectively generating environmentally friendly energy, helping to reduce CO2 emissions, and helping to revitalize local ecosystems.2) Mali also depends largely on the import of fossil fuels to meet a large part of its modern energy needs, which has perverse effects on the economy and on the lives of Malian people. Bio-fuel, especially Jatropha-based, is a viable alternative that has the potential, if done in a sustainable way, to improve the quality of life on a local and a national scale.Work is currently underway in the village for buildings for electricity production, and for the local grid network which will bring electricity to people's homes and small businesses. The group will be installing special generators of 3 x 100kW, converted to run on pure Jatropha oil instead of diesel, in May 2007.

This project demonstrates that there are local solutions for local problems. the outset, there is particular attention being paid to putting local needs first. This contrasts many bio-fuel programs elsewhere in the world that are export-driven, and can have negative impacts on local livelihoods.MFC Nyetaa believes that the Jatropha system has a huge potential for building a vibrant and dynamic local economy in remote villages in Mali. The local production of Jatropha means local added value, local employment, and local generation of income through sale of Jatropha seed and sub-products. The rural people produce their own fuel for supplying modern energy services thereby protecting their environment. In the future, energy independent Malian villages will be immune to the economic petro-shock of increasing fossil fuel prices and insecurity of supply. Additionally, lessons learned and experiences gained can be useful in other developing countries, particularly in Africa.

The potential benefits of such installations, running on locally produced ecologically sound fuel, are significant. The process is CO2-neutral. The money paid for the fuel goes straight to the local people who collect the seed, rather than leaving the village, and then the country to pay for expensive fossil fuel imports. MFC's studies show that about half the cost of operating a typical platform goes to pay for fuel, so the effects on the village economy of using this locally-produced fuel can be dramatic.

This jatropha project has been facilitated by Mali-Folkecenter, a Malian NGO, aiming to develop rural capacity in a sustainable way. The organization is currently involved in three other jatropha projects in other parts of Mali. The Malian Agency for the Development of Household Energy and Rural Electrification (AMADER) made a contribution that will enable the Malian company ACCESS to manage the project.Other contributions were made by financers in the Netherlands (SHGW Foundation) to the Mali-Folkecenter for the development of the jatropha plantations in Garalo, and to support ACCESS in its project with AMADER through the procurement of the generator and part of the building. Technical support for the project is being provided by the FACT Foundation (Fuels Agriculture in Communal Technology), founded by a group of biofuel specialists, which wishes to make a contribution to income generation, social development and the improvement of quality of life among rural communities in developing countries through promotion of biofuel technology.

The project will be closely monitored and documented, so others interested in similarinitiatives can learn this experience. As Winfried Rijssenbeek of the FACT Foundation noted ?This is a project that can potentially see 1,000 replications in Mali and 10,000 in other developing countries.? For additional details regarding potential impacts, please see above.

Please see above.

This type of project can have a significant impact, particularly in arid developing countries, for reducing desertification, improving soil quality, and improving quality of life and income status for poor people in rural areas. The use of locally-produced biofuels can also reduce use of kerosene and other fossil fuels for electricity generation, reducing local environmental and health impacts, reducing energy-associated greenhouse gas and other emissions, and improving the foreign exchange situation of countries that rely on imported fossil fuels to meet energy needs. Can help to create dynamic local economies in remote villages across much of Africa and beyond.