A 3 year old Jatropha Plant
Jatropha seedlings planted for large scale production.
Farming // Large Scale Agriculture
A large scale venture is being planned for the establishment and cultivation of commercial-sized plantations of J.curcas in order to produce biofuels for local use.
Large numbers of seeds are needed to start and maintain the commercial plantations. The current sources of the seeds are from DRI's and IDDI's local farming operations and from plantations in Costa Rica where it grows on the Caribbean and Pacific sides of the country. Seed imports from either source have been planted in the DR. The literature is clear that J. curcas becomes naturalized rapidly, due to its rapid growth and adaptation to local soils, sites and precipitation.
Experts on the staff of the National Botanical Garden in Santo Domingo confirmed the full acclimatization and naturalization of J. curcas in the Dominican Republic.
The pilot plant requires about 270ha of mature Jatropha plantations or 1,500ha of young Jatropha plantations to produce 180,000 gallons of biodiesel per year. DRI has access to several 100ha of young Jatropha plantations already. With the proof of concept funding, DRI will be able to add to that to meet capacity.
The 10 million gallon/year bio-refinery will require 15,000 hectares of Jatropha plantations producing approximately 10.5 million gallons of raw vegetable oil (SVO).
IDDI, the company’s local NGO / development partner, has successfully completed proof-of-concept test plots of almost 1,500 acres of Jatropha throughout the Dominican Republic, confirming estimations of commercial yields. Production of the Jatropha seed will climb modestly in the first two years, reaching well over 60 percent of full production by year three, and over 80 percent by year four. When the trees reach full production (full maturity), they will generate approximately 3.7 kilograms of seed per tree per year, or enough to produce about 0.3 gallons of raw Jatropha oil. A landowner can expect to harvest seeds from up to 2,500 Jatropha trees per hectare, producing the equivalent of over 700 gallons of raw oil. Higher yields can be obtained with additional irrigation and organic fertilizer.
DRI has targeted specific regions of the Dominican Republic for the cultivation of Jatropha, taking into account overall climate, patterns of rainfall, soils, availability of land, and local needs. The land for Phases 1 and 2 of the enterprise lies in the Northwest of the country, near the Haitian border. It is configured in separately owned parcels with an average size of 6.25ha. There is also a group of farmers with a larger land size average of about 100ha. The parcels are interspersed throughout semi-arid valleys, with rivers or government canals passing through or nearby. These lands are not being used for the production of food. They have been lying fallow for many decades, or had been used for tobacco planting for a long time, with the earth now not being fertile enough anymore to support such planting.
While clearly separated from each other and somewhat disbursed across the region and micro climates, the farms under development are still in relatively close proximity to one another, as well as to the main highway and DRI’s eventual biodiesel facilities. They are all connected by primary and secondary roads. Also, DRI’s proposed biodiesel facilities are in close proximity to a major port, facilitating export if and when that becomes attractive.
Harvesting & Collecting
Harvesting will be run by the landowners / farmers. It will be supervised by DRI directly or through local partners hired for their expertise and physical presence. Harvesting will be manual, stretching over two 2- to 3-month periods per year. The Jatropha fruit matures and dries on the tree over a period of time (not all at the same time) and cannot be harvested all at once. Laborers will pick the dried fruit only and deposit it at specific sites on the roads that run along the farms. DRI will have a fleet of trucks (directly and/or leased and/or hired) that will collect and weigh the fruit and deliver it to the company’s processing site(s).
Agricultural Risk
There are three main risks within the agricultural component: water access, drought, natural or other disasters.
Water Access:
Though Jatropha is a hearty plant that requires less water than most, it still needs water. Too little water will lead to a weaker or less abundant plant. Too much water can drown the root or be an agent for mold or pests. DRI resolves these issues in several ways: (a) most planting is done during rainy periods when the soil is softer and moister and the seedling can take in a faster and stronger way. If rain is insufficient, DRI will truck in water as needed. The better the seedling takes, the better the long term prospects; (b) rainfall in the region, though it is a semi arid region, is more than sufficient to support Jatropha farming. If there are insufficient rains, Jatropha is very drought resistant and rebounds well when water is available again; (c) most of DRI’s farms are relatively close to rivers and canals that provide a constant supply of water directly or through simple irrigation. Some farms already have irrigation in place, others can easily install the means. In areas further away from surface water, charts show that the water table below DRI’s farms is adequate and accessible through wells.
Drought:
The regions of DRI’s farms are semi-arid. There is always a risk of extended periods without rain. One of the reasons DRI has chosen Jatropha is that it is very drought resistant and bounces back very well. Extended dry periods will have a deleterious effect on DRI’s immediate yields but not on the long term viability of the plant or project. To mitigate this risk, DRI works to ensure additional water access is available (see above) and farms are spread geographically: The farms are not in one closed area but spread out across the region and across micro-climates. In extreme circumstances, DRI could purchase Castor or other vegetable oils to prevent serious disruption of operations and sales.
Natural Disasters:
The typical disasters one might think could strike a project such as this are: monoculture, plague, fire and hurricanes. Monoculture is defined as cultivating a specific crop in a very large area. In and of itself monoculture is not a risk but having a singular crop on a large, contiguous farm makes it susceptible to the quick spread of a problem. DRI mitigates this risk in two ways: DRI’s farms are in great number; they are relatively small and not contiguous; they are spread out through the region with significant gaps between them. Furthermore, DRI will have a variety of Jatropha strains and will eventually intercrop with species that provide added protection and/or benefits. If DRI were to use a single strain, it could be very susceptible to a pest, fungus, etc., taking hold and spreading. By mixing up the stock, DRI will make it very difficult for anything to take hold in any significant way. DRI, through its management and supervision as well as partnering with local groups, will have constant oversight of the farms and be able to quickly react to or defend against any potential spread. Also, Jatropha has a natural resistance to most pests.
With respect to fire: DRI’s farms are in a hot and relatively dry climatic region. The company mitigates this risk by having the farms on relatively small plots and with access roads that serve as fire breaks. On most farms, there is also water readily available to provide fire suppression.
The region in which the various farms are located has not experienced any hurricanes, due to hurricanes hitting Hispaniola either from the west or the east while the area in question is protected by mountain ranges to the west and the east.
Local Expertise
On-the-ground local expertise is necessary to manage the Jatropha seedling nurseries and the subsequent maintenance of the plantations. DRI has qualified local and regional staff with the requisite technical skills and experience to raise seedlings at the scale necessary for out-planting and for subsequent plantation success and maintenance. It is well-understood by them that proper spacing and pruning to optimize seed pod production are crucial.
Having this trustworthy resource available to the co-operatives and individual farmers on an on-going basis is key. DRI appears to have this well in hand. Consequently, when this venture gets off and running on the scale needed, these fundamentals for success are in place.