BIOFUELS DOING ITS WORST IN TANZANIA

African Jatropha Boom Raises Concerns
Pete Browne, October 8, 2009 (NY Times)

"Proponents of jatropha, the plant once heralded as the future of biofuels, are running into some hurdles.

"…Envirocare, an environmental and human rights organization, highlighted [in a forthcoming report] the impact of the jatropha trade in Tanzania — including concerns over the displacement of farmers, water consumption, and the substitution of food crops for biofuels…[The report] was commissioned by the European-funded African Biodiversity Network, a network of organizations working to protect biodiversity in Africa."

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[Abdallah Mkindi, environmental officer, Envirocare:] ”Thousands of farmers in Tanzania could face eviction from their lands by multinational organizations promoting the cultivation of biofuels…Rivers and streams could potentially be diverted to grow biofuels…This – especially in a country suffering a food crisis – could lead to increased conflicts over access to water.”

"…[Of] 13 potential bioenergy crops analyzed for their potential as electricity feedstocks in [The water footprint of bioenergy] in the [June] American Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, rapeseed and jatropha were found to be the least water-efficient biofuels…[J]atropha had the least favorable [biodiesel] water footprint [WF].

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"Mr. Ruud Van Eck, the chief executive of Diligent Energy Systems, a Dutch jatropha developer working in Tanzania, is among business executives who have contested the findings on the water footprint of jatropha…[but also] stated that for jatropha to be sustainable, it should not be grown in places with high rainfall, which can be used to grow food crops.

"Several other European companies [are] working to develop jatropha in Africa…including the British biodiesel producer D1 Oils, Prokon of Germany, and BioShape, another Dutch company…[but a Swedish organization operating on Tanzania’s coast has recently pulled out of a jatropha venture…as has BP, which sold its 50 percent stake to D1 Oils for less than $800,000]…The demand for biofuels continues to rise…[driven by EU and U.S. policies]…"