Jatropha in Gambia

The reports of newly planted trees are growing every the day:

My new Jatropha ambassador friend Bakary Jatta told me that he was talking to a man who is starting a 100 HA farm in Sutukoi and 50 HA are going to be Jatropha! Now we are talking!! 

Through our business we met with “Future in Our Hands’, a Swedish organization. Yesterday I learned that 28 schools all over the country, build by FIOH, are going to be fenced with Jatropha. FIOH already designed a brochure and FIOH is from today an official Jatropha ambassadors. Thanks Joran! 

My friend Samba in Samba Kalla (North-bank region) informed me that his 200 Jatropha trees are growing up very good and that he is going to ask in his village to start collecting seeds in the bush and bring them to me. 

Jim, one of our technical staff members came into the office today to inform me that he found a huge Jatropha area in the bush over the weekend and that he is going to collect seeds for us. YES! 

Soon we are able to press our first liters of Jatropha oil. In the mean time I was making my first bar of soap. Just to have some experience before I have Jatropha oil available. Today the bar of soap was coming out of the mould and our maid was testing some soap. We found her dancing in the kitchen: ‘She never experienced nice soap like this’.  I do consider this a complement for my first step into soap making.

I learned there has been a meeting at the office of GREG about starting a pilot farm. This is good news.The Senegalese TV was broadcasting information about Jatropha and lots of Gambians have been watching it. “If Senegal starts growing Jatropha we can’t stay behind….. If Senegal sees the benefits we also have to act……..” are some of the comments I received. There is more and more talk in town about Jatropha actually people start thinking about their own plantations.  We are buying a land in Tujereng to start our own Jatropha farm there and that will also be the perfect location for the oil pressing plant. At ‘our’ farm we will include the Jatropha School, where we will be able to educate all Gambians about the benefits of the Jatropha oil. Goal for the start is July 2008. A lot of work has to be done but that’s what we like. On the 19^th of this month (October) our friend Petra is arriving with 2 PITEBA presses. One of them is for one of our ‘ambassadors’ Bakary Jatta and the other one is going to be the first equipment for the new Jatropha school. With this small hand press we can show how easy it is to press the oil from the seeds.