the jatropha trap

This report by Friends of the Earth International evaluates the promotion and implementation of jatropha as a biofuel crop in Mozambique. It argues that the industry is built on myths regarding the plant's ability to grow on marginal land and its resistance to pests, and warns that large-scale production threatens food sovereignty and community land rights.

• The claim that jatropha grows well on marginal land with high yields on poor soils is unsupported by evidence in Mozambique. Most plantations have been established on arable land using fertilizers and pesticides, yet they still fail to deliver promised growth rates and yields.
• Jatropha requires significant water and maintenance, contradicting claims of low water use. Irrigation is essential during the early development phase even in areas with 800mm to 1,400mm of rainfall; in the southern region, constant irrigation is often required.
• Jatropha is vulnerable to fungi, viruses, and insect pests. There is evidence that these pests are spreading from jatropha to surrounding food crops such as maize, sorghum, and peanuts, which threatens food sovereignty for subsistence farmers.
• The expansion of jatropha poses a risk to food security because subsistence farmers, who produce 75% of the food they consume, are planting jatropha in place of food crops rather than on unused land due to limited manageable plot sizes.
• The Mozambican government's drive for jatropha production is likely to result in large-scale 'land grabs'. The 1997 Land Law is being manipulated through unconstitutional decrees and the bribery of community leaders to gain consent without transparent consultation.
• Industrial jatropha projects have struggled with slow growth and financial instability. For example, Energem's plants produced only 18 to 30 branches after 2 to 3 years, far below the 100 branches needed for sustainable yields, while ESV Bio Africa entered a financial crisis and considered selling its operations.
• The National Policy and Strategy for Biofuels, approved in March 2009, was developed without civil society participation and lacked transparency, focusing on private sector interests and the false premise that agrofuels effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

APA

Ribeiro, D., & Matavel, N. (2010). the jatropha trap. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/19-foei-jatropha-eng-lr.pdf

Chicago

Ribeiro, Daniel, and Nilza Matavel. the jatropha trap. Friends of the Earth International, 2010. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/19-foei-jatropha-eng-lr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ribeiro |first1=Daniel |last2=Matavel |first2=Nilza |title=the jatropha trap |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=September 2010 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/19-foei-jatropha-eng-lr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ribeiro2010jatropha, author = {Ribeiro, Daniel and Matavel, Nilza}, title = {{the jatropha trap}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2010}, month = sep, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/19-foei-jatropha-eng-lr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }