Impacts of biofuel crop production in southern Africa: land use change, ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and food security

The document evaluates biofuel production in southern Africa, finding that sugarcane generally improves food security and reduces poverty, while jatropha's benefits are unproven or precarious. It highlights a trade-off where sugarcane can increase carbon stocks but displace food crops, whereas jatropha plantations in Mozambique caused substantial carbon stock losses. The brief also notes that high costs hinder the adoption of ethanol cooking stoves in urban Mozambique despite their potential to reduce charcoal-driven deforestation.

• Biofuel crop production impacts ecosystem services differently based on crop type and original land use. Sugarcane plantations in Malawi and Swaziland, as well as smallholder jatropha hedges in Malawi, showed carbon sequestration benefits. Conversely, converting savanna woodland to a large jatropha plantation in Mozambique led to a substantial decline in carbon stocks.
• Sugarcane production is associated with positive socioeconomic outcomes. Both plantation workers and smallholders in Malawi and Swaziland generally exhibited better food security and lower multidimensional poverty levels compared to control groups not involved in sugarcane production.
• Jatropha production has failed to provide significant poverty or food security benefits for smallholders in Malawi. While plantation workers in Mozambique saw some improvements, these gains are considered precarious due to the near-total collapse of the jatropha sector in southern Africa.
• The adoption of jatropha as a hedge crop on small family farms in Malawi can negatively impact food production by displacing agricultural land. For instance, a hedge of 500 trees can reduce the area of an average farm by 7%.
• In urban Maputo, Mozambique, ethanol stoves could reduce the environmental pressure caused by charcoal harvesting, which requires significantly more land. However, adoption is limited by high costs; ethanol is more expensive per unit of energy than charcoal, LPG, kerosene, and electricity.
• Despite being located in areas with energy-related projects, nearly all surveyed groups across all study sites suffered from a lack of access to electricity and clean cooking fuels.

APA

Johnson, F. X., Nyambane, A., von Maltitz, G., Luhanga, D., Jarzebski, M., Balde, B. S., & Gasparatos, A. (n.d.). Impacts of biofuel crop production in southern Africa: land use change, ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and food security. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/johnson-et-al-biofuel-ecos-services.pdf

Chicago

Johnson, Francis X., Anne Nyambane, Graham von Maltitz, Davies Luhanga, Marcin Jarzebski, Boubacar Siddighi Balde, and Alexandros Gasparatos. Impacts of biofuel crop production in southern Africa: land use change, ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and food security. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/johnson-et-al-biofuel-ecos-services.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Johnson |first1=Francis X. |last2=Nyambane |first2=Anne |last3=von Maltitz |first3=Graham |last4=Luhanga |first4=Davies |last5=Jarzebski |first5=Marcin |last6=Balde |first6=Boubacar Siddighi |last7=Gasparatos |first7=Alexandros |title=Impacts of biofuel crop production in southern Africa: land use change, ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and food security |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/johnson-et-al-biofuel-ecos-services.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{johnsonndimpacts, author = {Johnson, Francis X. and Nyambane, Anne and von Maltitz, Graham and Luhanga, Davies and Jarzebski, Marcin and Balde, Boubacar Siddighi and Gasparatos, Alexandros}, title = {{Impacts of biofuel crop production in southern Africa: land use change, ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and food security}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/johnson-et-al-biofuel-ecos-services.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }