IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v10y2021i10p1063-d652438.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Land Grabbing and Jatropha in India: An Analysis of ‘Hyped’ Discourse on the Subject

Author

Listed:
  • Anika Trebbin

    (Department of Geography, Philipps University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany)

Abstract

In the early 2000s, powerful narratives (re-)emerged around the food–fuel–land nexus, which, combined with the financial, food, and fuel crises of 2007–08, sparked new concerns about the finiteness of our resources and triggered, as well as partially justified, the then following land rush. Around the same time, a hyped debate also developed around biofuels as a potential fix to some of the global scarcity problems in which jatropha held a particularly prominent position as a new miracle crop. This study examines the concurrence of jatropha and the land grabbing hype in India, the leading promotor of the plant globally, and asks what effect the global land grab discourse had on actual jatropha investments in the country. To do so, an extensive literature review, discourse analysis, and qualitative survey were conducted, with a specific focus on jatropha investors. The study found that both hyped discourses have impacted investor decisions, but the impact varied depending on the types of company. This study adds a yet underrepresented investor perspective to the global land grabbing discourse and highlights a need to also consider the role of small and medium enterprises in land grabbing processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Anika Trebbin, 2021. "Land Grabbing and Jatropha in India: An Analysis of ‘Hyped’ Discourse on the Subject," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-21, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:10:p:1063-:d:652438
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/10/1063/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/10/1063/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Deasy Simandjuntak, 2014. "Riding the Hype: The Role of State-Owned Enterprise Elite Actors in the Promotion of Jatropha in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-22, June.
    2. E .D.Kuusaana & E .A.Adams & B.B Campion & A .Ahmed, 2019. "Land Dispossessions And Water Appropriations: Political Ecology Of Land And Water Grabs In Ghana," AfRES 2019-080, African Real Estate Society (AfRES).
    3. Baka, Jennifer & Bailis, Robert, 2014. "Wasteland energy-scapes: A comparative energy flow analysis of India's biofuel and biomass economies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 8-17.
    4. Miranda Imperial, 2019. "New Materialist Feminist Ecological Practices: La Via Campesina and Activist Environmental Work," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-15, August.
    5. Ofelia Andrea Valdés Rodríguez & Arturo Pérez Vázquez & Caupolicán Muñoz Gamboa, 2014. "Drivers and Consequences of the First Jatropha curcas Plantations in Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-15, June.
    6. Jacqueline Vel, 2014. "Trading in Discursive Commodities: Biofuel Brokers’ Roles in Perpetuating the Jatropha Hype in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-20, May.
    7. Castro Gonzáles, Nirza Fabiola, 2016. "International experiences with the cultivation of Jatropha curcas for biodiesel production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1245-1258.
    8. Findlater, K.M. & Kandlikar, M., 2011. "Land use and second-generation biofuel feedstocks: The unconsidered impacts of Jatropha biodiesel in Rajasthan, India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3404-3413, June.
    9. Saturnino M. Borras & David Fig & Sofía Monsalve Suárez, 2011. "The politics of agrofuels and mega-land and water deals: insights from the ProCana case, Mozambique," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(128), pages 215-234, June.
    10. Frank Vanclay & Philippe Hanna, 2019. "Conceptualizing Company Response to Community Protest: Principles to Achieve a Social License to Operate," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-31, June.
    11. Oliveira, Gustavo de L.T. & McKay, Ben & Plank, Christina, 2017. "How biofuel policies backfire: Misguided goals, inefficient mechanisms, and political-ecological blind spots," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 765-775.
    12. Edrisi, Sheikh Adil & Dubey, Rama Kant & Tripathi, Vishal & Bakshi, Mansi & Srivastava, Pankaj & Jamil, Sarah & Singh, H.B. & Singh, Nandita & Abhilash, P.C., 2015. "Jatropha curcas L.: A crucified plant waiting for resurgence," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 855-862.
    13. Kumar Biswas, Pradip & Pohit, Sanjib, 2013. "What ails India's biodiesel programme?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 789-796.
    14. Abosede Ijabadeniyi & Frank Vanclay, 2020. "Socially-Tolerated Practices in Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Reporting: Discourses, Displacement, and Impoverishment," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-18, January.
    15. Evelien de Hoop & Saurabh Arora, 2017. "Policy Democracy? Social and Material Participation in Biodiesel Policy-Making Processes in India," SPRU Working Paper Series 2017-02, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    16. Adams, Ellis A. & Kuusaana, Elias D. & Ahmed, Abubakari & Campion, Benjamin B., 2019. "Land dispossessions and water appropriations: Political ecology of land and water grabs in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    17. Wouter M. J. Achten & Navin Sharma & Bart Muys & Erik Mathijs & Paul Vantomme, 2014. "Opportunities and Constraints of Promoting New Tree Crops—Lessons Learned from Jatropha," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-19, May.
    18. George Francis & Raphael Edinger & Klaus Becker, 2005. "A concept for simultaneous wasteland reclamation, fuel production, and socio‐economic development in degraded areas in India: Need, potential and perspectives of Jatropha plantations," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 29(1), pages 12-24, February.
    19. van Eijck, Janske & Romijn, Henny & Balkema, Annelies & Faaij, André, 2014. "Global experience with jatropha cultivation for bioenergy: An assessment of socio-economic and environmental aspects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 869-889.
    20. Hunsberger, Carol & German, Laura & Goetz, Ariane, 2017. "“Unbundling” the biofuel promise: Querying the ability of liquid biofuels to deliver on socio-economic policy expectations," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 791-805.
    21. Wendy Wolford & Saturnino M. Borras Jr. & Ruth Hall & Ian Scoones & Ben White & Wendy Wolford & Saturnino M. Borras Jr. & Ruth Hall & Ian Scoones & Ben White, 2013. "Governing Global Land Deals: The Role of the State in the Rush for Land," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 44(2), pages 189-210, March.
    22. Graham Von Maltitz & Alexandros Gasparatos & Christo Fabricius, 2014. "The Rise, Fall and Potential Resilience Benefits of Jatropha in Southern Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-29, June.
    23. Richmond Antwi-Bediako & Kei Otsuki & Annelies Zoomers & Aklilu Amsalu, 2019. "Global Investment Failures and Transformations: A Review of Hyped Jatropha Spaces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-23, June.
    24. Bin Yang & Jun He, 2021. "Global Land Grabbing: A Critical Review of Case Studies across the World," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, March.
    25. Baka, Jennifer & Bailis, Robert, 2014. "Wasteland energy-scapes: a comparative energy flow analysis of India's biofuel and biomass economies," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 59896, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    26. Gunatilake, Herath & Roland-Holst, David & Sugiyarto, Guntur & Baka, Jenn, 2011. "Energy Security and Economics of Indian Biofuel Strategy in a Global Context," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 269, Asian Development Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ahmed, Abubakari, 2021. "Biofuel feedstock plantations closure and land abandonment in Ghana: New directions for land studies in Sub-Saharan Africa," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. Dalemans, Floris & Muys, Bart & Maertens, Miet, 2019. "Adoption Constraints for Small-scale Agroforestry-based Biofuel Systems in India," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 27-39.
    3. Goetz, Ariane & German, Laura & Hunsberger, Carol & Schmidt, Oscar, 2017. "Do no harm? Risk perceptions in national bioenergy policies and actual mitigation performance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 776-790.
    4. Dalemans, Floris & Muys, Bart & Verwimp, Anne & Van den Broeck, Goedele & Bohra, Babita & Sharma, Navin & Gowda, Balakrishna & Tollens, Eric & Maertens, Miet, 2018. "Redesigning oilseed tree biofuel systems in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 631-643.
    5. Gasparatos, A. & von Maltitz, G.P. & Johnson, F.X. & Lee, L. & Mathai, M. & Puppim de Oliveira, J.A. & Willis, K.J., 2015. "Biofuels in sub-Sahara Africa: Drivers, impacts and priority policy areas," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 879-901.
    6. Borras, Saturnino M. & Franco, Jennifer C. & Moreda, Tsegaye & Xu, Yunan & Bruna, Natacha & Afewerk Demena, Binyam, 2022. "The value of so-called ‘failed’ large-scale land acquisitions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    7. Bin Yang & Jun He, 2021. "Global Land Grabbing: A Critical Review of Case Studies across the World," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, March.
    8. German, Laura A. & Bonanno, Anya M. & Foster, Laura Catherine & Cotula, Lorenzo, 2020. "“Inclusive business” in agriculture: Evidence from the evolution of agricultural value chains," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    9. Kunda-Wamuwi, Chibuye F. & Babalola, Folaranmi D. & Chirwa, Paxie W., 2017. "Investigating factors responsible for farmers' abandonment of Jatropha curcas L. as bioenergy crop under smallholder out-grower schemes in Chibombo District, Zambia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 62-68.
    10. Sánchez, A.S. & Almeida, M.B. & Torres, E.A. & Kalid, R.A. & Cohim, E. & Gasparatos, A., 2018. "Alternative biodiesel feedstock systems in the Semi-arid region of Brazil: Implications for ecosystem services," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2744-2758.
    11. Bélair, Joanny, 2021. "Farmland investments in Tanzania: The impact of protected domestic markets and patronage relations," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    12. Nyantakyi-Frimpong, Hanson, 2020. "What lies beneath: Climate change, land expropriation, and zaï agroecological innovations by smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    13. Correa, Diego F. & Beyer, Hawthorne L. & Fargione, Joseph E. & Hill, Jason D. & Possingham, Hugh P. & Thomas-Hall, Skye R. & Schenk, Peer M., 2019. "Towards the implementation of sustainable biofuel production systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 250-263.
    14. Gasparatos, Alexandros & Doll, Christopher N.H. & Esteban, Miguel & Ahmed, Abubakari & Olang, Tabitha A., 2017. "Renewable energy and biodiversity: Implications for transitioning to a Green Economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 161-184.
    15. Mazumdar, Purabi & Singh, Pooja & Babu, Subramanian & Siva, Ramamoorthy & Harikrishna, Jennifer Ann, 2018. "An update on biological advancement of Jatropha curcas L.: New insight and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 903-917.
    16. Evelien de Hoop & Saurabh Arora, 2017. "Policy Democracy? Social and Material Participation in Biodiesel Policy-Making Processes in India," SPRU Working Paper Series 2017-02, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    17. Glover, Steven & Jones, Sam, 2019. "Can commercial farming promote rural dynamism in sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Mozambique," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 110-121.
    18. Hunsberger, Carol & Work, Courtney & Herre, Roman, 2018. "Linking climate change strategies and land conflicts in Cambodia: Evidence from the Greater Aural region," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 309-320.
    19. Richmond Antwi-Bediako & Kei Otsuki & Annelies Zoomers & Aklilu Amsalu, 2019. "Global Investment Failures and Transformations: A Review of Hyped Jatropha Spaces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-23, June.
    20. Jocelyn Alejandra Cortez-Núñez & María Eugenia Gutiérrez-Castillo & Violeta Y. Mena-Cervantes & Ángel Refugio Terán-Cuevas & Luis Raúl Tovar-Gálvez & Juan Velasco, 2020. "A GIS Approach Land Suitability and Availability Analysis of Jatropha Curcas L. Growth in Mexico as a Potential Source for Biodiesel Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-23, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:10:p:1063-:d:652438. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.