development
projects
locations India, Mexico, Mali, Burkina Faso dates June 2009 – February 2013 project team Marc Kenis Tim Haye Carol Ellison Steve Edgington Sean Murphy
investigating the impacts of Jatropha curcas production
As fossil fuel prices increase and concerns about climate change grow, bioenergy crops have gained international prominence.
so what’s the problem? Increasing demand for bioenergy crops could lead to conflict, particularly in the tropics where the need to produce food is paramount. Growing such crops could also lead to increased deforestation, where large scale forest land conversions are initiated. Some think smallholder farmers could incorporate the production of bioenergy crops into their current land use systems, growing such crops alongside food crops without jeopardizing their own food security. This would increase the smallholders’ cash flow and enable them to intensify food production.
Jatropha curcas is a Euphorbiaceae (from the spurge family), native to Central America and cultivated throughout the tropics. Its seeds are rich in oil (27–40 per cent) which, using low-tech extraction techniques, is suitable for biodiesel. The plant is being promoted in several regions worldwide and especially in the two primary project countries, Mexico and India. Following insurgent activity in the planned field work area in India, in 2010 project activities were moved to Mali, and then, after the coup d’état in Mali in March 2012, to Burkina Faso. In Mexico, where the plant is native, it is traditionally planted as a hedge. Large scale planting was initiated in 2006, particularly in Chiapas and Veracruz. In India, large-scale land conversions to Jatropha have been initiated in several states. In Burkina Faso and Mali farmers have been encouraged to plant Jatropha as part of an intercropping system or as hedges, with support from local extension workers. So far, however, little is known about basic agronomy and ecological impacts across different agro-eco-regions.
KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE