do you know why jatropha grows well?
because where it grows it’s undisturbed

the hedge fence which filipinos ‘grow’ around their homes or homelots are largely undisturbed places, which means the birds drop down their fecal matter there and the leaves and branches and flowers fall there and these decompose and become organic matter which, of course, make excellent soil. if you argue that jatropha is a sturdy plant because it grows as part of fences which are not cultivated at all, it doesn’t follow. the soil underneath that fence is fertile following the laws of nature, that is, following the cycle of life (living plant and animal) and death (dead plant and animal), the dead returning to the earth what it took from it in terms of life. that is the essence of organic farming. to produce organic fertilizer to use on crops is not organic farming – it is fertilizing crops with organic fertilizer. the organic fertilizer is already decomposed plant or animal or mixed organic matter. what the soil needs is organic matter decaying in it so that the water and the nutrients released during organic matter decomposition go to the soil and enrich it. if you build the organic matter on the surface of the soil (not composting), spread the organic matter over the entire surface of your field (not in a selected place for composting), then you are essentially composting on the surface of your field, and you are enriching the soils of your entire field all at the same time. this is what happens in the universe of the fence – organic matter falls on top of the surface of the soil, decomposes and so it enriches the soil. and yes, the universe of the fence is undisturbed by human hands or feet or tool, that’s why it maintains its integrity.