7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
1/18
Livelihood impacts of biofuels:Analyses of evidence from hot spots of biofuel investments
(Boamah, 2009)
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
2/18
Discourses driving perceived impacts of biofuels
Discourse refers toa discourse refers to a manner of
perceiving and presenting a particular issue that is shared bymore than one person (Benjaminsen & Svarstad, 2010:387).Expressed through the use of narratives (Roe,1991)
discourses may obscure their proponents from seeingalternative interpretations and actions (ibid.).
Examples of hegemonic discourses;
Win-win discourses (IFAD, Rural Consult Ltd etc.)
Populist (pessimistic) discourses (eg.Oxfam, Action-AidInternational, IFPR1,OECD etc. )
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
3/18
Analyses of the livelihood
impacts of biofuels will focus on;
Consequences on food production
Employment creation (direct and indirect).
Community development projects
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
4/18
Decisive factors of the livelihood impacts
of biofuels;
The production models adopted & social
responsibility of the biofuel investor(s)
Livelihood diversification
Land use pattern and land availability
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
5/18
The production models adopted & social
responsibility of biofuel investors
Three biofuel production models can be recognized (Sulley &
Nelson, 2009).
1.Large scale plantations ( biofuel companies control allaspects of production and processing).eg. SEKAB BT, Bioshape,
FELISA, and Sun Biofuels, BioFuel Africa Ltd., etc
2. Contract farmers and independent suppliers(biofuelcompanies enter into contracts with local farmers). eg. DiligentEnergy Systems
3. Hybrid models (combines production from largeplantations and small-scale farmers). eg. SEKAB BT
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
6/18
Continued
-food crop production
Negotiation with farmers for relocation toadjacent farmland areas with compensation-
BioFuel Africa Ltd.
Intercropping in jatropha rows with maize
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
7/18
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
8/18
Free ploughing for chiefs and reduced cost of
ploughing for large scale farmers
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
9/18
Farms for plantation
workers Maize farms for project villages
Food crop production increased.
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
10/18
However,
Through its local affiliate, Sun Biofuels Tanzania Ltd,
Sun Biofuels acquired 8,211 ha in Kisarawe district ofTanzania for biofuel production.
Rural peoples access to land have been compromised
as village land areas are transferred into general land
for use by the biofuel company, depriving 10,000
peasant farmers in 12 villages (Sulley & Nelson, 2009).
Confusion over compensation payments (ibid.).
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
11/18
ve oo vers cat on
Spread of economic activities away from reliance on the
primary enterprises to seek a wider range of on-and off-farm sources of income (Devereux & Maxwell, 2001: 86).
Over 5,000 farmers contracted by Diligent Biofuel
Company in Northern Tanzania had a new income source
in addition to farming without ceding farmlands.
Monduli district of Tanzania, jatropha has become analternative source of income for women in Mto wa Mbu
village through seed collection, oil extraction and soap
making as well as jatropha seedling production and sales
to processing companies and NGOs (ibid).
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
12/18
In the Yendi project villages,Livelihoods in
addition to FARMING
Charcoal business Firewood
business
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
13/18
BioFuel Africa recruited over 60% of its workers from
project villages. New income sources plus farming!
Employment in the plantation Farming opportunities
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
14/18
Land availability and the type of land used
Tanzania wetland areas (Bagamoyo, Kisarawe, Rufiji districts) are
useful for rice, wheat & also fuelwood, charcoal production,traditional medicines,etc.
Rufiji district of Tanzania-4 villages leased out land areas for SEKAB BT
despites its agric. Potential for residents.
In the Sao Paulo region, additional 362,000 ha of sugar caneproduction btn 1974 & 1979 led to the decline of land areas used for
the production of food crops like maize and rice & food prices as well
as displacement of farmers (ibid.).
The concept of waste land-Tamil Nadu State of India. It includesdense forests lands, protective hedge around agricultural fields,
farmlands under agroforestry, fallow lands, tracks of public lands along
railways, roads, and canals. Wastelands definition is biased and thus
includes productive lands.
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
15/18
ContinuedMalleability makes it difficult to estimate what kind of land
use and land cover types are really being converted toagrofuels, under which property rights they exist, and to
whom they are being given (Pere Ariza-Montobbio et al.,
2010).
Rajasthan Land Revenue Rules 2007, Tamil Nadu has alsoincluded a leasing component in its Comprehensive
Wasteland Development Programme (CWP).
Convincing rural people to cultivate jatropha either on so-called wastelands or in contract with private companies
meanwhile poor yields, food shortages,unfulfilled promises
by companies in contract farming is big challenge to small
scale farmers.
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
16/18
Continued
Jatropha not yielding short-term benefits
compared to traditional food & cash crops
(eg.groundnut).
Population density- Rajastan state of India (165
persons per sq. km.), BUTYendi district of N.
Ghana (26.6 persons per sq. km). Low pop. Density
in the project villages due tempoary residence.
Contradicts the pro-poor rhetoric?
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
17/18
Biofuel reports are interwoven with
interest
Therefore, because interest determines what is
investigated, what is published and what issuppressed (Herring, 2008), analyses of biofuels
reports should be treated with prudence.
7/31/2019 Biofuels and Local Livelihoods @ TEC KNUST
18/18
Analysis must be context-specific
How must resources are diverted from thedominant livelihoods of projects areas to
biofuels production.
ORThe trade-offs between livelihoods and biofuels
TUSEN TAKK!