I came across this article from the New York Times in Sunday’s paper : “Mali’s Farmers Discover a Weed’s Potential Power”. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/world/africa/09biofuel.html?em&ex=1189396800&en=0653a7244f33ba52&ei=5087%0A
Apparently there’s an obnoxious weed that has grown forever in Mali, and now they think they can make it into biofuel. Instead of pulling it, farmers are now cultivating it between their rows of vegetables, in hopes of a windfall of cash if the experiments prove fruitful.
Now, this got me thinking (Doug always shudders when I say that) if they can use that poor weed in Mali, why doesn’t someone give a shot at Kudzu here in the South?
Introduced from Japan as an ornamental in 1876, Kudzu was planted everywhere to stop erosion. What nobody realized was that the climate in the southern US is a bit different from that in Japan. Kudzu can grow a foot on a good day, and 60 feet a year if you’re not looking. If you’ve ever driven through the south, you’ve seen how it encompasses everything in it’s way. If you’ve never been south, then you have to see to believe. Take a look at these photos by Jack Anthony, and you’ll understand: http://www.jjanthony.com/kudzu/
Can you imagine the repercussions of Kudzu biofuel? I don’t mean the obvious relief from our dependence on foreign oil; I’m thinking more of the domestic economic impact beyond the relief at the gas pump.
Unemployment would bottom out. There would be careers not only in farming, processing, and trucking but also in the fields of refining and technology. The auto industry would once again flourish, as well as vacation destinations and boat sales.
There would also be a boom in real estate – as you can see from the photos, Kudzu owns over 7 million acres in the South. Why, think of all the as yet undiscovered historical sites will be uncovered!
I think I'm going to present this idea to the next General Assembly. As soon as I hack a path to the car...
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