[Based on the Project Design Document of December 2009]

In 2008, the French NGO Groupe Energies Renouvelables, Environnement et Solidarités (GERES) began the project ALTERRE (local agro-fuels, rural territory and energy) in Mali which aims to support the access to energy in rural areas and the establishment of a local jatropha agro-fuels industry. Currently, rural energy services mainly rely on fossil fuel diesel as an energy source, which, due to increased use, became more expensive.

Access to an alternative, cheaper and greener fuel represents an opportunity. The area of intervention is the old cotton basin in the South East of Mali, characterised by the progressive deterioration of the cotton industry since 2006 and unsustainable energy services due to the dependence on fossil fuel diesel.
 
The principle adopted by the project is to set up a jatropha system based on local facilities. This includes seed production by farmers in the area, oil extraction and the use of the resulting straight vegetable oil for local energy services. One of the strengths of the project is that it seeks to establish a framework for dialogue, a place where local stakeholders can build networks, which is essential to discussing the distribution of added value throughout the value chain. GERES and its Malian partner Association Malienne d'Eveil au Développement Durable (AMEDD) provide technical, organisational and financial support to the various actors.

The key aims of the project activity are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also improving rural livelihoods in the target district.

Objectives that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions include the following:

• Establishing Jatropha curcas plantations on marginal cropland in the project area, which sequesters carbon in both trees and soil.
• Producing straight vegetable oil as a locally-derived and sustainable substitute for fossil fuel diesel, which avoids greenhouse gas emissions associated with use of fossil fuel diesel.  

Objectives that contribute to improved rural livelihoods include the following:

• Restoration of marginal land and its reintegration into the rural economy via producing marketable products and valuable environmental services
• Prevention of ongoing erosion
• New rural income streams from the sale of Jatropha seeds, biodiesel and carbon credits
• Diversification of the rural economy
• Local employment creation
• Improved living conditions via better access to energy and services thanks to affordable, reliable fuel
• Restoration of local biodiversity

In time, carbon credits will be generated from both carbon sequestration by Jatropha trees and fuel switching from diesel to straight vegetable oil, although the developer will focus only on obtaining carbon credits from fuel switching in the first instance.