Losing the plot

The report argues that India's push for jatropha to meet biodiesel targets has led to the forced displacement of tribal and lower-caste communities from their traditional lands. While promoted as a pro-poor, non-food crop for 'waste land', the report finds that jatropha often displaces food crops and common resources, fails to thrive due to poor understanding of growing conditions, and is unlikely to be commercially viable as a monoculture.

• The Indian government set a target to replace 20% of diesel consumption with biodiesel by 2017, identifying jatropha as an ideal source because it is a non-food crop that could be grown on 'waste land' and under-stocked forests.
• The designation of 'waste land' for jatropha is contested, as much of this land actually provides essential community resources like village forests and commons for food, fuel, and timber for the rural poor.
• In Chhattisgarh, the promotion of jatropha has resulted in the forced removal of tribal (adivasi) and lower-caste (dalit) people from community lands they have used for generations, often without consultation or consent.
• Evidence from Kanker and Bastar districts in Chhattisgarh shows that hundreds of families have been displaced and over 1,700 acres of traditionally cultivated tribal land have been taken for jatropha.
• The economic promises of jatropha are often unrealistic; the crop is not economically viable as a monoculture and requires significant inputs of manure, pesticides, and water to achieve optimum yields.
• The shift toward jatropha may exacerbate food insecurity and social tensions by displacing food crops and diverting common grazing lands from local livestock to fuel for the wealthy.
• Corporate involvement in jatropha, including contract farming by companies like D1 Oils and Taj Gas Limited, has led to controversies including allegations of 'biopiracy' and financial losses for farmers.

APA

Lahiri, S., Burley, H., & Bebb, A. (2009). Losing the plot. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/jatropha_in_india.pdf

Chicago

Lahiri, Souparna, Helen Burley, and Adrian Bebb. Losing the plot. Friends of the Earth International, 2009. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/jatropha_in_india.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lahiri |first1=Souparna |last2=Burley |first2=Helen |last3=Bebb |first3=Adrian |title=Losing the plot |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=December 2009 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/jatropha_in_india.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lahiri2009losing, author = {Lahiri, Souparna and Burley, Helen and Bebb, Adrian}, title = {{Losing the plot}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2009}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/jatropha_in_india.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }