Jatropha’s growth targets low-vaue land: report

March 12, 2017 |

In a recent publication, researchers from the Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany, present the findings of a global survey on Jatropha cultivation conducted in 2011. Their main findings show that of the 1.04 million ha cultivated with Jatropha in 2011, 26% was established on land previously used for crop production or animal husbandry, 34% on previously unused land, and 40% on land cleared of vegetation as a result of logging activities unrelated to Jatropha cultivation. On an area-basis, management practices were mainly extensive (infrequent use of machinery, fertilizers and agro-chemicals). As nine internationally active companies accounted for 90% of the cultivated area, detailed case studies of such projects are required in order to provide meaningful implications on the area-based impact of global Jatropha cultivation.

*Walmsley DC, Bailis R, Klein A-M. A Global Synthesis of Jatropha Cultivation: Insights into Land Use Change and Management Practices. Environ Sci Technol. 2016;50(17):8993-9002. doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b01274.

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Category: Fuels

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