Kia Motors Europe is to sponsor a long-term charitable programme for the planting of shrubs in southern Mali, West Africa. The project, called 'Kia – Planting for a Better Life', will guarantee the planting of up to six million jatropha shrubs over the next three years, helping to secure a brighter future for communities in the area by boosting agricultural output and generating income for farmers and their families.

Supported by Kia's 14 wholly-owned European subsidiaries, the project will see Kia making a donation equivalent to six jatropha seedlings for each vehicle sold in the participating countries, up to a maximum value of €500,000 each year.