jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees

This report by Friends of the Earth International argues that Jatropha is neither a profitable nor a sustainable investment for biofuel production. It challenges the 'miracle crop' narrative, providing evidence that the plant requires significant inputs to be viable, often competes with food production, and leads to the displacement of local communities and the destruction of biodiversity.

• Jatropha is not economically viable as a large-scale cash crop because actual seed yields are significantly lower than the projections promised by investment companies. While some firms promised yields up to 6 t/ha of oil, real-world evidence from India shows rain-fed yields of less than 1 t/ha are more realistic, and some projects have been abandoned due to low seed yield and poor oil quality.
• The claim that Jatropha thrives on marginal land is inaccurate; to achieve high yields, the plant requires significant water, fertilisers, and pesticides. Research indicates Jatropha may need up to 20,000 litres of water per litre of fuel produced, and in some regions, it does not naturally occur where annual precipitation is less than 944 mm.
• Jatropha is vulnerable to pests and diseases when grown as a monoculture, contradicting claims of natural resistance. This vulnerability increases production costs due to the need for petroleum-based pesticides and can lead to total crop loss for farmers who cannot afford these inputs.
• Many large-scale Jatropha investment projects have failed or been scaled back. Examples include D1 Oils withdrawing from Swaziland and Tanzania, and the bankruptcy of BioShape in 2010. In Ethiopia, Flora EcoPower saw its share price collapse after failing to meet harvest predictions.
• Jatropha plantations often compete with food production because companies establish them on fertile, arable lands rather than marginal lands. This has led to the displacement of food crops, such as groundnuts in India and rice in Ghana, threatening local food security.
• Large-scale Jatropha projects frequently cause the displacement of local communities and the loss of common property rights. In Chhattisgarh, India, hundreds of families have been displaced, and similar land seizures without compensation have been reported in Mozambique, Tanzania, Ghana, and Zambia.
• Jatropha plantations negatively impact biodiversity by encroaching on valuable natural ecosystems, including the Namatimbile coastal forest in Tanzania and forests in Ethiopia and Ghana. Furthermore, Jatropha is considered an invasive species in the United States, South Africa, Australia, and Puerto Rico.
• Contrary to claims of carbon savings, Jatropha may increase net carbon emissions due to land-use change. Converting forests, savannas, or pastoral drylands to plantations releases significant amounts of CO2, creating a 'carbon debt' that may outweigh the savings from displacing fossil fuels.

APA

Pohl, C. (2010). jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/jatropha_FoEIreport.pdf

Chicago

Pohl, Christine. jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees. Friends of the Earth International, 2010. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/jatropha_FoEIreport.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pohl |first1=Christine |title=jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=December 2010 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/jatropha_FoEIreport.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pohl2010jatropha, author = {Pohl, Christine}, title = {{jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2010}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/jatropha_FoEIreport.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }