AFRICANEWS
ZimbabweBreaking the walls of povertyDevelopmentby Manasseh C. Tazvinzwa
When people in Mutoko, a poorrural area 120 km east of the capital Harare lived with the Jatropha Curcas, a tree brought by Portuguese traders 300 years agolittle did they know that the plant provides lamp fuel and oil for making soap.
Makosa village in Mutoko has joined hands with a development agency,
Biomass Users Network, to harvest oil from the plant. " Everyone in this village is working," says Jonah Chikowe, the chairman of Makosa Jatropha Oil Committee, also a councillor of the area. He added that the villagers have to collect the seeds to keep the machines going. The Makosa Jatropha oil committee buys seeds from the villagers for US$5 (Z$150) per gramme. The oil is then sold to the soap making cooperative and ordinary people who use it to fuel their lamps. The committe employs 8 women on fultime. In the past the plant was used as fence around village homes and fields. The latex from the stem was used for curing wounds. Other benefits of the plant are; erosion control from wind and running water, and gully reclamation. There are possibilities that the plant could be used in industry. For example in 1997 Lever Brothers Zimbabwe produced over 2000 tablets of soap using properties from the plant.The development canhelp save a lot of money on import duties which has so far gone up by about 25 percent in the past two months in Zimbabwe. The villagers are happy because they now are able to buy soap 40 percent cheaper because it is locally produced ans has also provided self employment to than 400 people who are now engaged in Jatropha farming.
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