Abstract
Jatropha is the latest in a list of “miracle crops” that have been promoted in southern Africa for their perceived development benefits. This was based on promises of high yields, low water requirement, ability to grow on marginal land and lack of competition with food. In less than 10 years, tens of thousands of hectares were acquired for jatropha plantations and thousands of hectares were planted, most of which are now unused or abandoned. Overestimations of jatropha yields coupled with underestimations of the management costs have probably been the prime contributors to the collapse of most jatropha projects in southern African. However, a few projects still survive and show signs of possible long-term sustainability. We consider two such projects, a smallholder-based project in Malawi and a large-scale plantation in Mozambique. Though their long-term sustainability is not proven, both projects may increase resilience by diversifying household income streams and contributing to national fuel security. By identifying what seems to be working in these projects we provide insights as to why other projects may have failed in southern Africa and whether there is still place for jatropha in the region. In essence can jatropha still enhance local/national resilience or are jatropha’s benefits just a myth?
Highlights
Between 2000 and 2008, the biofuel feedstock Jatropha curcas (L) caught the imagination of national governments, NGOs, international/national development agencies and international investors with interests in southern Africa [1]
Considering the above, the aim of this paper is to offer an overview of the factors that led to the rise and fall of jatropha production in southern Africa and to elucidate the role, if any, that jatropha still can play in promoting development in the region
Reconstruct the rise and fall of the jatropha sector in southern Africa; Identify the reasons behind this trajectory; Identify what characteristics have made some jatropha projects persist despite widespread project collapse; Put these findings into perspective to understand whether jatropha still has a role to play in southern Africa
Summary
Between 2000 and 2008, the biofuel feedstock Jatropha curcas (L) (jatropha) caught the imagination of national governments, NGOs, international/national development agencies and international investors with interests in southern Africa [1]. These stakeholders perceived jatropha as a “wonder” or “miracle” crop [2] that could solve some of the region’s multi-faceted challenges. The rapid expansion of jatropha in other developing countries, most notably India, coupled with the perceived potential to produce large quantities of biofuel underpinned these claims. It is clear that most of these early jatropha projects had limited chance of success as they were based on a multitude of incorrect “facts”, misinterpretation (or selective use) of the available data, and an overall poor knowledge of jatropha and its agronomy
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