Crops in Botswana grow gradually due to dryness and cold-weather, and this is a barrier to the achievement of a low carbon society based on bioenergy. However, the country has an abundance of wild plants that can hold up against dryness and winter season cold. It likewise has large numbers of Jatropha trees, whose seeds have abundant amounts of an oil considered to hold great pledge as a biofuel.
The objective of this project is to use these resources to develop jatropha curcas varieties that are resistant to dryness and cold weather and offer high performance, in addition to to establish methods of cultivating these varieties. In this way, a biological technique will assist to achieve a low carbon society.
Creating a bioenergy production model based upon the country's own biological resources
A database of biological resource data relating to jatropha curcas will be built and appropriate varieties will be developed. Moreover, in this dry region that goes through cold weather condition, efforts will be made to establish a cultivation system that is flexible with regard to climate modification. The task will work to develop a sustainable bioenergy production design using plant genetic resources that are indigenous to Botswana.
