Biodiesel company's are buying hundred of thousand of hectares of land and thinking about growing Jatropha fruit and using as Biofule or Biodiesel.http://www.ecoworld.com/home/articles2.cfm?tid=356I read in Scientific American that company's are buying land and planting has began in Swaziland, Zambia and South Africa and they are growing for the seed now to get enough. They say there is no trade off  between food and fuel. They say the rain forest are unlikely to be threaten this stuff can grow in harsh conditions.But what I think about  maybe it might be of some use if it also grown in American after  all we use corn as biofuel (ethanol) maybe this might be grown in place of corn for what we already use as ethanol.I forgot to put the" be" in there.I meant to say:Should the American farmers be thinking about growing (Jatropha Curcas) Jatropha Fruit for Biofuel.?

There is a plant that is the most efficient at converting sunlight into energy. It can be grown in any temperate climate. It's seeds are prolific and contain 75-80%of high quality oil. It can reach heights of over 15ft in just a couple of months with a stalk as thick as your arm. It needs little water and very little fertilizer or pesticides. It grows well in very marginal soil. In some parts of the world 3 crops a year are possible. We need this plant right now ! It's HEMP ! ...           But wait ... it resembles a similar plant that is considered a 'drug' !  We need to change the laws so we don't have to burn FOOD for fuel !  We don't have time to mess around with un-proven species of plants when history shows HEMP was always used to better mankind. Our country was founded using HEMP ! Look at 'OLD IRONSIDES' symbol of pride of AMERICA !  OAK...IRON...and HEMP !

They should do all they can.Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds can be used for making biodiesel fuel in India, and is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and the third world. The rail line between Mumbai and Delhi is planted with Jatropha and the train itself runs on 15-20% biodiesel.The plant can grow in wastelands, and it yields more than four times as much fuel per hectare as soybean, and more than ten times that of corn. A hectare of jatropha produces 1,892 liters of fuel (about 6.5 barrels per acre). Also Jatropha is a one-stage conversion to biodiesel Jatropha curcas, also called physic nut, is used to produce the non-edible Jatropha oil, for making candles and soap, and as a feedstock for the production of biodiesel. The cakes remaining after the oil is pressed can be used as feed in digesters and gasifiers to produce biogas for cooking and in engines, or the cakes can be used for fertilizing, and sometimes even as animal fodder; alternatively, the entire seed (with oil) can be used in digesters to produce biogas. Large plantings and nurseries of this tree have been undertaken in India by numerous research institutions, and by women's Self Help Groups, who use a system of microcredit to ease poverty among the nation's semi-literate population of women. Extracts from this species have also been shown to have anti-tumor activity. The seeds can be used as a remedy for constipation, wounds can be dressed with the sap, and the leaves can be boiled to obtain a malaria and fever remedy.