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The New York Times featured an article on Sunday about a promising new biodiesel source called Jatropha curcas or Barbados Nut – a weed that is currently used to shield food crops from animals in Northern Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. The plant seems ideal for both farmers and the environment: it is accustomed to dry conditions and is poisonous to pests, thus eliminating the need for complicated irrigation or dangerous, expensive pesticide use. The prospect of Jatropha oil as a source of biodiesel is so lucrative, in fact that British Petrolium, Daimler-Chrystler and other large fuel and automotive corporations are pouring millions into research and cultivation.

This is good news for farmers. Jatropha can grow in the rocky or nutrient poor soil that rejects all other crops and yields more biofuel per acre than other sources like corn and soy. This is partially because the seed of the Jatropha, from which the oil is extracted, is about 40% oil. To the world’s poor, Jatropha could be a fortune growing out of their rocky terrain.You can find the entire article here http://aboutmyplanet.com/green-news/this-week-fuel