3. The social and ecological bottom line
Promote self-sufficiency in energy:
- Local availability of energy will stimulate local economic activity and encourage:
- community stability
- improved education and health for communities
Fight global warming:
- PPO is a carbon-neutral fuel
- Reforestation: sequestration of CO2
- Organic certification to be investigated
Generate local employment:
- Instead of paying foreign oil producers, the cost of production remains in the local economy
- Job creation est. at 1 job per 10ha
- Activity will create other benefits*
Utilisation of marginal land:
- Jatropha grows on marginal land. Focus on land not used for food production - much cheaper capital cost
- Establish productive farming on marginal land
*Outgrower schemes allow local growers to use their capital and labour to serve Viridesco’s market. This is beneficial to the outgrowers and capital-efficient for Viridesco.