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Economic and Social Sustainability Performance of Jatropha Projects: Results from Field Surveys in Mozambique, Tanzania and Mali

Author

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  • Henny Romijn

    (School of Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands)

  • Sanne Heijnen

    (Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Jouke Rom Colthoff

    (Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Boris De Jong

    (Triple Word Score, Amsterdam NL 1054 TX, The Netherlands,)

  • Janske Van Eijck

    (Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

Abstract

This paper presents results from comprehensive field surveys of jatropha projects in Mozambique, Tanzania and Mali in 2012. The article singles out the salient economic and social impact results and derives lessons. The results clearly demonstrate the weak business case for jatropha biofuel production at this time. Plantations were found to be unviable because of insurmountable up-front capital requirements in combination with slow and unreliable crop maturation, inefficient oil pressing owing to a lack of scale and experience, inadequate utilization of by-products, and competitively-priced fossil diesel and palm oil. For smallholders, jatropha only has limited value as a hedge crop in environmentally and economically disadvantaged areas. Better prospects have to wait for the advent of improved jatropha varieties. Social impacts from the perspective of project managers were rather mixed: overall, food security perceptions were positive and no massive forced human displacements were noted so far, though some disputes over land access and compensation were reported. Labor legislation was apparently respected on plantations, and positive gender effects, regional income/employment effects and better public facilities were also reported. The projects generated considerable employment, albeit mostly of a temporary nature, as lack of economic viability had caused many projects to close down again. When introducing next-generation biofuel projects, better monitoring by various actor groups is recommended, as well as long-term investment plans that include integral exit strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Henny Romijn & Sanne Heijnen & Jouke Rom Colthoff & Boris De Jong & Janske Van Eijck, 2014. "Economic and Social Sustainability Performance of Jatropha Projects: Results from Field Surveys in Mozambique, Tanzania and Mali," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(9), pages 1-33, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:9:p:6203-6235:d:40145
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    2. Giovannetti, Giorgia & Ticci, Elisa, 2016. "Determinants of biofuel-oriented land acquisitions in Sub-Saharan Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 678-687.
    3. Marcin Pawel Jarzebski & Abubakari Ahmed & Yaw Agyeman Boafo & Boubacar Siddighi Balde & Linda Chinangwa & Osamu Saito & Graham Maltitz & Alexandros Gasparatos, 2020. "Food security impacts of industrial crop production in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the impact mechanisms," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(1), pages 105-135, February.
    4. Isaac Osei & Joseph O. Akowuah & Francis Kemausuor, 2016. "Techno-Economic Models for Optimised Utilisation of Jatropha curcas Linnaeus under an Out-Grower Farming Scheme in Ghana," Resources, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-21, November.
    5. Henry Okwo & Charity Ezenwakwelu & Anthony Igwe & Benedict Imhanrenialena, 2019. "Firm Size and Age mediating the Firm Survival-Hedging Effect: Hayes’ 3-Way Parallel Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-17, February.
    6. Tito Francisco Ianda & Emerson Andrade Sales & Ademar Nogueira Nascimento & Antonio Domingos Padula, 2020. "Optimizing the Cooperated “Multi-Countries” Biodiesel Production and Consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-25, September.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. Dorothée Boccanfuso & Massa Coulibaly & Luc Savard & Govinda Timilsina, 2018. "Macroeconomic and Distributional Impacts of Jatropha Based Biodiesel in Mali," Economies, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-22, November.
    10. Arnall, Alex, 2019. "“Employment until the end of the world”: Exploring the role of manipulation in a Mozambican land deal," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 862-870.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. Jha, Priyanka & Schmidt, Stefan, 2021. "State of biofuel development in sub-Saharan Africa: How far sustainable?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    14. Graham von Maltitz, 2017. "Options for suitable biofuel farming: Experience from Southern Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-100, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    15. Ahmed, Abubakari & Campion, Benjamin Betey & Gasparatos, Alexandros, 2017. "Biofuel development in Ghana: policies of expansion and drivers of failure in the jatropha sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 133-149.
    16. Graham von Maltitz, 2017. "Options for suitable biofuel farming: Experience from Southern Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series 100, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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