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<br>Kenyans fear Dakatcha Woodlands [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) growth<br> |
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<br>23 March 2011<br> |
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<br>By Will Ross<br> |
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<br>BBC News, Dakatcha<br> |
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<br>Being in the shade of a tree beside his thatched mud hut in in Kenya's Dakatcha Woodlands, Joshua Kahindi Pekeshe is bold.<br> |
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<br>"We are not going to let this land go even if it implies shedding blood," he told the BBC.<br> |
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<br>"Land is very crucial to us. We farm and get our livelihood from it. On this land we bury our dead."<br> |
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<br>He is one of the lots of people opposed to the production of a big in the area, about an hour's drive inland from the coastal town of Malindi.<br> |
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<br>It is an arid area and home to some 20,000 individuals in addition to globally threatened animal and bird types.<br> |
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<br>Ambitious objectives<br> |
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<br>An Italian company has actually asked the authorities for permission to rent 50,000 hectares there to grow [jatropha curcas](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy), whose seeds are rich in oil that can be turned into bio-diesel.<br> |
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<br>This plant, originally from South America, has long been grown in Africa as a hedge to keep out animals - goats stay well away as it is toxic. The area affected is community land which is being held in trust by the regional council.<br> |
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<br>Kenya [jatropha curcas](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) Energy Ltd is 100%-owned by the Milan-based Nuove Iniziative Industriali SRL.<br> |
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<br>It has actually leased almost a million hectares in Africa |
