TITLE: JATROPHA GREEN FARMING PROJECT

To establish “Jatropha Green Farming Project” to produce biodiesel and byproducts such as fuel, soap, etc and sale to create earnings from local consumption and foreign incomes through exports. Also to tend the crop for environmental rehabilitation of this semi arid area in the Rift Valley Region of Kenya and to contribute to reduction of green house gas emissions, provide cheap, accessible fuel for domestic use and enhance food production.

- Expensive imported biodiesel products
- Scarce/unpredictable biodiesel products supply
- Unemployment opportunities
- Water scarcity
- Food Insecurity
- Harsh Semi arid environment

- Farm Preparation/Plantation Establishment/Management
Fencing, borehole, Water pump, Lay water polullycin pipes for drip irrigation, Dig earth dump
- Planting:Site Inspection/Assessment/Soil sampling/initial Soil testing and audit, Seed selection, tilling, Seed Nursery, seed transfer/planting, Pruning
- Harvesting:Storage, Extraction, Packaging
- Refining:Assessment of bio fuel; separation and standardization Kenya Bureau of Standards, etc

Local Consumption and for Export:

Sales: Dispatch salesmen/women targeting local consumers of kerosene and other products with local products emanating from jatropha

Marketing: Aiming at the domestic market by attacking the monopolies with superior products from jatropha, cheaper, accessible and of better quality through mass media and advertisement channels

Supplies: Establish distributor links countrywide , closer to the consumers

- Local consumers, local community members and institutions directly
retail shops
wholesales
schools
hospitals
hotels
generator users
tractor farming individuals/companies
- Export firms for international consumptions
- Motorists and bio-diesel machine operators
- Foreign expatriates who already know the value
- Aviation industry, aerospace consumers; Costa Rica, EU, Canada
- Transport industry seeking to cut cost on diesel prices

Competitors of Jatropha products are multi-national bio-diesel producers, their products are already very expensive and scarce.

Whereas most byproducts of jatropha are of multi-use i.e. medicinal value, soap products for washing and bathing, mosquito repentant, fertilizer, for lighting and cooking fuel, the competing products are of single use and expensive, prices determined by international markets, hence unattractive to local consumers

Kenya is on the way to benefiting by contributing into the industry, thus Arid Green Foundation intends to achieve its twin objectives – green environmental and economic incomes through jatropha farming.

The Aviation industry accounts for over 16 Billion gallons of Jet fuel per year, and upwards of 5% of the Green House gases. The large-scale growing of jatropha is a critical event for aviation/aerospace industry, biodiesel production for local consumption just as organizations such as the Jatropha Harvest Experience in Costa Rica has done, our business focuses on production/capacity issues to meet aviation/aerospace industry need in next 10years

Jatropha Green Farming is a durable long term investment. The Jatropha plant has a known economic lifespan of over 40 years without replanting. There are many examples of trees over 60 years producing more than 120kg of seed, per year.
It begins to yield after 6 – 8 months; 1st year seed yield/Ha 6,000kg, 2nd year seed yield/Ha 12,000Kg, 3rd year seed yield/Ha 18,000Kg, 4th year seed yield/Ha 20,000Kg, 5th+ year seed yield/Ha 24,000Kg

Institutional/Accounting Capacity:
1. Foundation’s owned land – 10 acre farm in Semi-arid area of Kajiado South
2. High skilled Board and staff of Arid Green Foundation (graduates)
3. Internal Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism
4. In-build accounting systems
5. Proficient accounting staff - qualified
6. Internal finance/auditing processes (checks and balances)
7. Bank statements
8. Independent external auditors

This conservation driven business opportunity is God given, Arid Green Foundation has own 10 acre land and have embraced the idea by mobilizing community in and around Kajiado South area towards an enabling project which is geared at wealth creation and environmental activities. And most of our board members are raised in the arid/semi arid harsh environment hence we already had aspirations same as this business plan to engage in similar venture

Staff - 100%
Management Board - 50%
Local Community - 5%
Experts - 5%
GoK/Partner Bodies - 5%
Institutions of Higher learning - 5%

Potential Impact:
Rehabilite semi-arid environment of Kajiado South and its environs, Growth of Agro-forestry business in the country, Provide water sources, Trained youth for Trainer of Trainers project countrywide to share best practices on poverty alleviation, Sustainable peace due to availability of green pasture and water for Masaai herds of cattle, Food security, Employment, Reversal of rural-urban migrations