Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
small-scale rural enterprise in some areas (Brittaine et al. 2010). The competitive-
ness of this soap in relation to other commercially prepared soaps is however
uncertain.
4
Jatropha leaves and weeded undergrowth can be left on fields as mulch to return
nutrients back to the soil (Achten et al. 2007).
5
Jatropha has traditionally been used as a living fence to exclude browsing animals
(Achten et al. 2008; Achten et al. 2010).
6
Jatropha oil can be burnt as a local source of energy to provide light and cooking
heat. However, the cost of producing this oil may be prohibitive as it is usually
much more than the cost of kerosene (or purchased fuelwood) and, even if plant oil
can be produced at a comparable price to kerosene, rural people may be reluctant
to pay for cooking fuel, be it plant oil, wood or kerosene etc., if any form of
biomass can be freely collected (Openshaw 2000).
7
Jatropha can be a source of combustible materials such as using wood from annual
pruning and coppicing (Achten et al. 2007), or the seed exocarp, nutshell and ker-
nel (Openshaw 2000). However, some consider the Jatropha wood to be too soft
and hollow and therefore not a good fuelwood alternative (Brittaine et al. 2010). It
is particularly important to extend research on this front given that, in Indian sites
where Jatropha has replaced pigeon peas or cotton, the major livelihood impact
(apart from the loss of the food or fiber of the crop) is the loss of fuel (an acre of
pigeon peas could provide firewood for six months for an average household of
five members) (Ariza-Montobbio et al. 2010b).
8
Jatropha can be useful as a source of sticks or poles, and in some places, the live
sticks have been used to support vines such as the vanillin plant, which flowers
profusely, drawing bees to pollinate these flowers. By extension, Jatropha can be
used to support small-scale apiaries (Openshaw 2000).
Local food security is enhanced and impacts on
arable land are minimised
Jatropha is inedible and thus should not compete with food crops for land. However,
there are very real concerns about the impacts of Jatropha cultivation on food security
in the developing world. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) defines food
security as existing when “all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and
healthy life'' (FAO 2010). Biofuels predominantly impact two dimensions of food
security: the
availability
of food (determined by domestic production, existence of
food stocks, etc.) and
access
to food (depends on poverty, purchasing power, food
distribution systems, etc.) (Green 2009).
The availability of food can be directly affected through the production of crops
that compete with food crops, such as cash crops for export (e.g., cotton) or crops
for the production of biofuels. Therefore, assessments of the impacts of Jatropha
cultivation must include consideration for the type of land (arable vs. degraded) that
is being used. While it is claimed that Jatropha can be grown on degraded lands,
thereby reducing competition with food crops, the reality has been quite different.
In Mozambique, Jatropha has been planted as a direct replacement for food crops
by subsistence farmers (Ribeiro et al. 2009), while in Tamil Nadu, India, 82% of
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