Agreement with ASJA - Italian
ASJA.BIZ AND THE LAGUARDIA FOUNDATION COLLABORATE ON A COMMUNITY BIO-ENERGY PROJECT IN BRAZIL
 ASJA.BIZ, an Italian leader in energy production exclusively from renewable fuels, and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia Foundation (LGF), a New York City based non-profit that fosters sustainable development in developing countries, have concluded a cooperative agreement to collaborate on developing farmer-owned biofuel production value chain models. LGF promotes and supports sustainable agricultural production Facilities in rural areas of China, Brazil and India, promoting the productive use of native renewable energy resources.
Asja.Biz prides itself on its ethical approach to doing business within the energy sector. Through its own Asja Market, it recently developed the Clean Planet System which reinvests profits from ASJA’s carbon credit sales in energy projects that promote social justice. The credits are derived from the Asja.Biz reducing emissions of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
The affinity of principles and interests between Asja.Biz and the LaGuardia Foundation have led to a collaborative effort that will focus initially on consolidating an LGF project initiated in 2005 for the development of a castor bean oil value chain and processing facility in the poverty-stricken, semi-arid Northeastern region of Brazil. The castor bean plant (also known as Mamona) is a native, local plant that adapts well in semi-arid climates, and thrives without irrigation or fertilizer.
 Asja Market has agreed to support the LaGuardia Foundation to develop an agri-energy Facility model that focuses on increasing the income of small farmers through their ownership of local processing facilities and by increasing payments for their produce. In 2006, LGF supported the creation of APRAI, an association of small castor bean producers in Itatira, in the state of Ceará. This rural sustainable development model – at a moment in which Brazil is launching a national bio-diesel development program – has provoked much interest. For example, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has recently adopted LGF’s approach and has approved a smilar pilot project in the semi-arid state of Bahia.
In Itatira, the cooperative effort between Asja.biz and the LaGuardia Foundation will support the APRAI association, enlarging the consortium to ensure the necessary raw materials for the profitable cooperative production of castor bean oil, and provide marketing support for the sale of the oil.
To read the signed Memorandum of Understanding by clicking the page below.
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