Fuelling alternative energy in Haiti
(Voice of America) The Caribbean nation of Haiti is looking to a small shrub called jatropha to cut its reliance on oil and charcoal, and to expand economic opportunities to poor communities.
The soaring price of oil is creating even greater pressure for energy companies and researchers to develop biofuels and other alternatives to take its place.
The Caribbean nation of Haiti is looking to a small shrub called jatropha to cut its reliance on oil and charcoal, and to expand economic opportunities to poor communities.
The efforts already are drawing support from Brazil and the United States for developing clean and renewable fuel supplies.
Experts say jatropha is cheaper to grow than some other biofuel crops and it produces more oil than soy and castor.
The hardy shrub grows in a variety of climates and already has helped launch biodiesel programs in India, Mali, Indonesia and elsewhere.
Kathleen Robbins, who promotes non-profit development programs in Haiti, says jatropha could work in the Caribbean nation, where two-thirds of the population relies on farming.
She says jatropha could provide a cheap source of fuel for rural areas that are cut off from the nation's electricity grid.
"It has the potential because it can be grown virtually anywhere, of creating a really positive economic impact in rural Haiti," says Robbins.
Originally published 13 Nov 2007
