la trampa de la jatrofa

This report by Friends of the Earth International evaluates the production of jatropha for biofuels in Mozambique, concluding that the industry is based on false premises regarding the crop's suitability for marginal lands and its impact on food security. The study finds that jatropha often displaces food crops, requires significant water and nutrients, and is highly susceptible to pests, posing risks to both small-scale farmers and the environment.

• The claim that jatropha grows well on marginal lands with high yields in poor soils is unsupported by evidence in Mozambique. In practice, almost all jatropha is planted on arable land and requires fertilizers and insecticides, yet still fails to reach promised growth rates and yields.
• Contrary to the myth that jatropha requires minimal care and little water, irrigation is essential for healthy growth during early development. In the southern region, where rainfall is near 600mm, constant irrigation is often necessary, and plants typically require between five and seven liters of water per day.
• Jatropha is highly vulnerable to fungi, viruses, and insect pests. There is evidence that these pests can spread from jatropha to neighboring food crops such as sorghum, maize, and peanuts, threatening local food security.
• Jatropha production threatens food security because subsistence farmers, who produce 75% of the food they consume, are substituting food crops with jatropha rather than using unused land. This is due to limited labor capacity and a lack of infrastructure.
• The expansion of large-scale jatropha plantations threatens Mozambique's carbon footprint and ecosystem services. Approximately 70% of the country is covered by forests and scrubland, which may be replaced by industrial agriculture, destroying carbon sinks and affecting local hydrology and biodiversity.
• The Mozambican government's National Biofuels Policy and Strategy, approved on March 24, 2009, was developed without transparency and deliberately excluded civil society. The policy prioritizes private investment and the export of biofuels to foreign markets over the development of subsistence agriculture.
• Land acquisition for jatropha projects often involves 'land grabbing' and the violation of community rights. Investors and government officials have been accused of bribing community leaders (Regulos) to obtain land consent without effective consultation with the population.
• Industrial jatropha projects have faced significant financial and operational failures. For example, ESV Bio Africa experienced a financial crisis due to higher-than-expected costs and lower yields, leading to nine months of unpaid wages for workers.

APA

Ribeiro, D., & Matavel, N. (2010). la trampa de la jatrofa. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/18-foei-jatropha-esp-lr.pdf

Chicago

Ribeiro, Daniel, and Nilza Matavel. la trampa de la jatrofa. Friends of the Earth International, 2010. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/18-foei-jatropha-esp-lr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ribeiro |first1=Daniel |last2=Matavel |first2=Nilza |title=la trampa de la jatrofa |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=September 2010 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/18-foei-jatropha-esp-lr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ribeiro2010trampa, author = {Ribeiro, Daniel and Matavel, Nilza}, title = {{la trampa de la jatrofa}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2010}, month = sep, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/18-foei-jatropha-esp-lr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }