jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees

The report challenges the 'miracle crop' narrative of jatropha, presenting ten reasons why industrial-scale plantations fail. It argues that jatropha requires fertile land, significant water, and chemical inputs to be productive, contradicting claims that it thrives on marginal land. This leads to competition with food production, displacement of local communities, and biodiversity loss. Economically, the report highlights a pattern of failed investment projects and unrealistic yield promises. Environmentally, it asserts that land-use change for jatropha can increase carbon emissions, undermining its purpose as a climate solution.

• Jatropha is not economically viable as a cash crop because actual seed yields are significantly lower than the high returns promised by investment companies. While some firms promise 2 to 6 tonnes of oil per hectare, realistic yields on marginal land are estimated between 0 and 2.2 tonnes of seed per hectare.
• Contrary to claims that it is a drought-resistant crop for marginal soils, jatropha requires significant water and nutrients to produce viable yields. Research indicates it may need up to 20,000 litres of water per litre of fuel produced, which is five times more than sugarcane and corn.
• Industrial jatropha plantations are vulnerable to pests and diseases when grown as monocultures, necessitating the use of pesticides which increases costs and harms biodiversity. In Nicaragua, pest treatment costs were found to be up to 80 USD/ha per year.
• Many large-scale jatropha investment projects have failed or been abandoned. Examples include D1 Oils withdrawing from Swaziland, BioShape declaring bankruptcy in 2010 after operations in Tanzania, and Flora EcoPower seeing its share price collapse after failing to harvest predicted oil volumes in Ethiopia.
• Jatropha plantations often compete with food production because companies establish them on fertile, arable lands rather than marginal lands. This has occurred in Mozambique, Tanzania, Ethiopia, India, and Ghana, threatening food security in regions already facing hunger.
• Large-scale jatropha projects cause the displacement of local communities and the loss of common property rights. In Chhattisgarh, India, some 355 families were reportedly displaced, while in Zambia, more than 3,000 people were reportedly displaced.
• Industrial jatropha plantations are not 'pro-poor' as they replace permanent subsistence livelihoods with temporary, low-paid farm jobs. In Mozambique, some workers earn about US$ 60 per month, which is below the international standard of extreme poverty for a family of five.
• Jatropha cultivation threatens biodiversity by infringing on natural ecosystems, such as the evergreen Namatimbile coastal forest in Tanzania. Furthermore, it is considered an invasive species in the United States, South Africa, Australia, and Puerto Rico.
• Jatropha is likely to increase carbon emissions due to land-use change. Converting natural forests, peatlands, and pastoral drylands to biofuel production releases a 'carbon debt' that can be 17 to 420 times more CO2 than the annual reductions saved by 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} }