Biofuels produced from the jatropha plant may be competing with food production for land and water, according to a new report released by Friends of the Earth as the Jatropha World Summit begins in Ghana.
The “Jatropha – Wonder Crop?” report assesses claims made by UK bio-fuels company D1 Oils about jatropha. With concern about the impacts of large-scale bio-fuel production on poor communities, D1 Oils reportedly proposes jatropha as a wonder crop that doesn’t compete with food and can grow almost anywhere.
However, based on research of jatropha crops growing on poor quality land in Swaziland, the report’s findings conclude that jatropha can grow in semi-arid land but yields are too low for farmers to make a profit. In water-scarce Swaziland, some farmers growing jatropha for D1 Oils have had to water regularly and other farmers have turned food production over to jatropha production.
The report also raises concern about the way in which D1 Oils has promoted jatropha to farmers. Some farmers could not read or understand the contracts they signed and were not left copies, according to Friends of the Earth.
Friends of the Earth biofuels campaigner, Hannah Griffiths said, “It is shameful that this so-called wonder crop is replacing food production in a country where two thirds of the population depend on food aid.”
“Jatropha is being pushed as one of the new miracle crops for African small farmers to produce fuel and dig themselves out of poverty. But the reality is that bio-fuel developments are firmly controlled by Northern companies which are taking over our land at an incredible pace, and are bringing about serious socio-economic and environmental impacts on our communities, food security, forests and water resources,” explained Sicelo Simelane from Friends of the Earth Swaziland.
Read the full report here.
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