The Bionic Enterprises Group Sustainability in energy and agriculture

BPL – Bionic Palm Limited

Bionic Palm Limited (BPL) is registered in Ghana since the year 2007. BPL is an associated member of the Bionic Group of Companies. Bionic Palm is developing a number of agricultural projects with a strong focus on bringing the most advanced technologies in sustainable and organic farming to bear in Sub Saharan Africa.

Currently we are engaged in 2 major projects within Ghana preparing to start more in the near future. International Consulting Services building on BPL’s core areas of expertise are more and more becoming an equally important second line of  business.

BPL’s Managing Director is Ulrich B. Riemann. Mr. Riemann, a German national based in Ghana for more than a decade. He also used to be a founding shareholder of the company before all shares were transferred to a local partner.

For more information check out the Bionic Agriculture pages, the Bionic Palm Facebook Page, Bionic Palm’s Jatropha Breeder Website or have a look at our company presentation.

Jatropha breeding and agronomy

Tomatoes grown between Jatropha double hedges

Young tomato plants between Jatropha hedges

Locations:
Accra Plains near Sege and Old Ningo

Objectives:
Developing sustainable elite Jatropha curcas planting material and related Jatropha agronomic practices for a future African food and fuel industry. This includes two core activities:

(1) developing high performing, non-toxic hybrid Jatropha cultivars providing high quality oil and seed meal which can substitute expensive animal feed imports.
(2) developing farming structures – commercial and small holder – that avoid mono culture and focus on a symbiotic ecosystem supplying food and fuel.

Details about the concept can be studied in this presentation.

Status:
A test farm has been established in late 2008 with a current size of 150 ha. 1500 ha are available for expansion. Jatropha hedges in various lay outs are tested in combination with a large number of locally adaptable food crops and soil improving inputs like biochar and mycorrhiza. One intention is to develop effective, simple methods for tropical land reclamation building on an agroforestry backbone concept.

In 2010 a small poultry farm was added primarily using local methods. Currently chicken, guinea fowls and turkeys are reared in a free range configuration. From the end of 2012 we will start adding non-toxic Jatropha cake to the poultry feed to establish long-term test results.

Agroforestry based on organic Cocoa backbones

Discussing farm plans

Location:
Gomoa area in the Central Region of Ghana

Objectives:
Building on the experiences of the food crop/Jatropha test farm a most sustainable organic Cocoa farming model will be implemented. In an agriforestry approach mono culture will be avoided, planting Cocoa double hedges with food crops in between instead. For the first time Bionic Palm has established a JV with families from the local communities to develop this project.

Status:
The first Cocoa nursery with 20,000 plants will be established in the fall of 2012 at a very convenient location already identified. Transplanting will take place at the start of the rainy season in 2013. The main focus will be on ten different test fields of at least one acre where performance will be tested under different locality and agronomic conditions.

Remaining seedlings will be sold on the market or planted in preparation of future commercial orchards. The initial testing phase of the project is planned for 2 years.

More projects are under preparation including a professional large scale poultry farm, innovative small scale Palm Oil processing and a Tiliapia fish farm. Most recently we designed an advanced Teak & Cocoa project model directed at international timber investors interested in financially sustainable and socially responsible REDD+ investments.

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