Jatropha trials planned to help boost rural Panamanian economy

Biodiesel Magazine
By Erin Voegele
May 01, 2012

Panama Green Fuels, an entity working to establish biodiesel infrastructure within Panama, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the director of the country’s National School of Agriculture (IDIAP) to use the school’s land to trial commercial cultivation of jatropha. Belgium-based Quinvita N.V. will oversee the trials.

In a quid pro quo arrangement, Panama Green Fuels has agreed to transfer agronomy practices and seed technology to the school, and to work with them to ensure knowledge is current and students have access to high-quality information and data. According to Panama Green Fuels CEO Adrian Harvey, his organization is a social enterprise formed specifically to assist low-income rural communities in Panama to grow biodiesel feedstocks.

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