Economic Impact and Challenges of Jatropha curcas L. Projects in North-Western Province, Zambia: A Case of Solwezi District

Abstract

Forest products, wood and non-wood, remain vital among smallholder households in Zambia with charcoal being the most sought after product. This has led to increased exploitation of forest trees to meet the needs for fuel wood, among others. However, Jatropha curcas plant has been identified as a potential fuel source. In the early 2000s, profit-making organizations encouraged smallholder households to grow Jatropha for use as an alternative fuel source. This paper reports on a study conducted in Solwezi between 2011 and 2014 to evaluate the impact of Jatropha cultivation for biofuel production. A sample of 100 small-scale farmers involved in Jatropha cultivation and key informants were interviewed to evaluate the impact of growing Jatropha at the small-scale level. Results show that farmers lost out on time; income from sale of edible non-wood forest products; and experienced reduction in maize (Zea mays) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production, worsening household economic conditions. Farmers attributed this loss to unclear policy alignment on biofuel production by government. We therefore recommend that project implementation should involve interactions of all legislative bodies and any other concerned stakeholders. There is also a need to promote the value chain, from production to marketing, which focuses on minimizing detrimental effects on the livelihood of small-scale farmers. OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 9908

Genome sequence of Jatropha curcas L., a non‐edible biodiesel plant, provides a resource to improve seed‐related traits

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Using Biofuels for Highly Renewable Electricity Systems: A Case Study of the Jatropha curcas

“…Full composition is shown is in Table 1. Jatropha Curcas is a promising plant for both bio-energy supply and socio-economic development in developing countries [26,27]. Full usage of Jatropha Curcas is depicted in Figure 2.…”

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“…Tanaman jarak pagar akan menguntungkan dalam jangka panjang bila pemerintah memberikan subsidi input dan melakukan pendampingan teknis dan pemasaran serta memberikan peluang kebutuhan pasar yang konsisten (Shinoj et al 2010). Informasi pasar dan harga sangat penting bagi pengelolaan tanaman jarak pagar (Kalinda et al 2015). Untuk kajian secara ekonomis lebih lanjut perlu ditetapkan tingkat harga jual biji jarak pagar sebesar Rp4.750,00/kg.…”