22 July 2010, Rome - Using the energy crop jatropha for biodiesel production could benefit poor farmers, particularly in semi-arid and remote areas of developing countries, according to a report published by FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). But the report stresses that jatropha is still essentially a wild plant sorely in need of crop improvement. Expecting jatropha to substitute significantly for oil imports in developing countries is unrealistic. "Many of the actual investments and policy decisions on developing jatropha as an oil crop have been made without the backing of sufficient science-based knowledge," the report said. "Realizing the true potential of jatropha requires separating facts from the claims and half-truths."
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/44142/icode/
Read the report