jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees

This executive summary by Friends of the Earth International argues that large-scale jatropha plantations are neither economically viable nor sustainable, contradicting claims by investment companies that the crop is a solution for the energy crisis, climate change, and poverty.

• Jatropha is not a profitable investment because yields are lower than claimed by investment companies, and there is no evidence that it works on a large scale. Even when high yields are achieved, the returns remain marginal.
• Contrary to claims that it thrives on marginal land, jatropha requires good soil, water, and fertiliser for good yields. Because inputs on degraded land are expensive, plantations are often established on fertile lands instead, leading to competition with food production and undermining food security in countries such as Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, and India.
• Large-scale jatropha plantations have negative social and environmental impacts. They cause the displacement of local communities—often forcibly and without compensation—and fail to provide sufficient local employment. Environmentally, they destroy biodiversity-rich forests and shrublands and require significant water and pesticide use.
• Jatropha does not guarantee a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions because the clearing of forests and shrublands releases stored carbon dioxide. Furthermore, its global potential on degraded land is too small to significantly reduce global fossil fuel use.
• Several jatropha investment projects have failed. Examples include the bankruptcy of the Dutch company BioShape in 2010, losses reported by the Swedish company BioMassive in Tanzania until 2009, and disappointing results that led BP to pull out of a joint venture with D1 Oils (UK).

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2010). jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/jatropha_FoEIsummary.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees. 2010. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/jatropha_FoEIsummary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=jatropha: money doesn’t grow on trees |date=December 2010 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/jatropha_FoEIsummary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2010jatropha, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, 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/2021/05/jatropha_FoEIsummary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }