Sustainable biodiesel feedstock. Jatropha: a strategic option

Nov 2007

This position paper by KnowGenix, in line with JatrophaWorld 2008, discusses the sustainability of non-food crops such as Jatropha against the backdrop of current biofuel policies and initiatives in developing regions. It looks at the broader issues concerning the advocacy of food and non-food crops needing large scale chemical inputs based on fossil fuels, large scale deforestation and mono-cropping techniques to feed the planned mega biodiesel projects.
It attempts to answer the following pressing questions about Jatropha based projects:

  • Is Jatropha really the best among energy crops and does it leave the least environmental footprint?
  • What are the impacts of large scale Jatropha plantations being planned in developing nations to feed the energy demands of the western world?
  • How does the Jatropha economics work for the developing nations?
  • To what extent is it more conducive in reducing GHG emissions?
  • Is Jatropha cultivation and propagation sustainable globally to feed the needed market demand?
  • Is biotechnology the answer to optimize Jatropha cultivation?

By: KnowGenix

 
download this document:   580 kb
home