Abstract
A significant decline in soil quality has occurred across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) through adverse changes in soil properties causing serious challenge to regional food security. This paper presents the new Jatropha technology for soil quality improvement and its importance for meeting rural energy demand in SSA. The paper starts from the premise of Jatropha agriculture and its impact on soil quality improvement with reference to examples from the drylands of Nigeria and Mali. Having reviewed the sweeping claims on Jatropha’s role and ability as alternative energy source, its ‘alleged’ cheap domestication and rush for mega plantations of Jatropha, the paper weighs the controversies surrounding the sustainable production, land grabbing and consequent economics of Jatropha productivity in mega plantation settings. It suggests the need to focus Jatropha agriculture and research in SSA toward rehabilitation of degraded lands, wastelands and badlands while, promoting Jatropha hedge-row fencing for small-holder farming. In addition to technical availability in terms of soil improvement and seed yield, it is suggested that indiscriminate tree-felling for fuel wood in SSA can be checked through a shift from current petrochemical technologies to biodiesel alternatives. The main conclusion is that first, SSA must consider as germane, a natural resource improvement approach based on a new green and bioenergy revolution, and secondly that a regional, pro-active and strategic direction is required to promote Jatropha research for innovation to deliver solutions to addressing the hydra-head environmental challenge of declining soil quality and fuel wood scavenging in the region.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Abdelgadir, HA, Jäger, AK, Johnson, SD, Van Staden, J, (2010) Influence of plant growth regulators on flowering, fruiting, seed oil content, and oil quality of Jatropha curcas. South African Journal of Botany 76: 440–446.
Achten, WMJ, Almeida, J, Fobelets, V et al (2010) Lifecycle assessment of Jatropha biodiesel as transportation fuel in rural India. Applied Energy 87: 3652–3660.
Banwart, S, Black, H, Cai, Z et al (2014) Benefits of soil carbon: report on the outcomes of an international scientific committee on problems of the environment rapid assessment workshop. Carbon Management 5 (2): 185–192.
Behera, SK, Srivastava, P, Tripathi, R et al (2010) Evaluation of plant performance of Jatropha curcas L. under different agricultural practices for optimizing biomass- a case study. Biomass and Bioenergy 34: 30–41
Bekunda, M, Palm, CA, de Fraiture, C et al (2009) Biofuels in developing countries. In Howarth, RW, Bringezu, S (eds) Biofuels: environmental consequences and interactions with changing land use. Proceedings of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) International Biofuel Project Rapid Assessment, 22–25 September 2008, Gummersbach Germany. Cornell University, Ithaca NY, USA. (http://cip.cornell.edu/biofuel). 249–269
Biswas, P.K., Pohit, S. & Kumar, R, (2010) Biodiesel from Jatropha: Can India meet the 20% blending target? Energy Policy 38: 1477–1484.
Burley, H, Griffiths, H, (2009) Jatropha: wonder crop? Experience from Swaziland. Friends of the Earth Publication
Bustamante, MMC, Melillo, J, Connor, DJ et al. (2008) In Howarth, RW, Bringezu, S (eds) Biofuels: environmental consequences and interactions with changing land use. Proceedings of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) International Biofuel Project Rapid Assessment, 22–25 September 2008, Gummersbach Germany. Cornell University, Ithaca NY, USA. (http://cip.cornell.edu/biofuel), 265–285
Craswell, ET, Lefrog, RDB, (2001) The role and function of organic matter in tropical soil. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 61: 7–18.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) (2006) World Agriculture: towards 2030–2050. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
Ghosh, A, Chaudhary, DR, Reddy, MP et al (2007) Prospects of Jatropha methyl ester (biodiesel) in India. International Journal of Environmental Studies 64: 659–674
Ghosh, A, Chikara, J, Chaudhary, DR (2011) Diminution of economic yield as affected by pruning and chemical manipulation of Jatropha curcas L. Biomass and Bioenergy 35: 1021–1029.
Godfray, HCJ, Beddington, JR, Crute, IR et al (2010) Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science 327: 812–818.
Halilu, AD, Misari, SM, Echekwe, CA et al (2011) Survey and collection of Jatropha curcas L. in the northwestern Savannas of Nigeria. Biomass and Bioenergy 35: 4145–4148.
Jain, S, Sharma, MP (2010) Prospects of biodiesel from Jatropha in India: a review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 14: 763–771.
Kashina, BD, Alegbejo, MD, Banwo, OO, Nielsen, SL, Nicolaisen, M (2012) Molecular identification of a new begomovirus associated with mosaic disease of Jatropha curcas L in Nigeria. Arch Virol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-012-1512-7.
Lal, R., (2004) Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science 304: 1623–1627.
Mittlelbach, M, (1996) Diesel fuel from vegetable oil. Bioresource Technology 27: 35–43.
Montanarella, L, Alva, IL (2015) Putting soils on the agenda: the three Rio conventions and the post-2015 development agenda. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 15: 41–48.
Nasiru, AM., Banwo, OO, Isah, AD, Zarafi, AB (2015) Identification and pathogenicity of fusarium and phomopsis foliar diseases of Jatropha curcas L in northwest states of Nigeria. World Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences 2: 22–27.
Ogunwole, JO (2014) Development of commercially viable plantations of Jatropha curcas L: case for promotion of its agricultural research. Advances in Plants & Agriculture Research 1 (3): 00017. http://dx.doi.org/apar.2014.01.00017.
Ogunwole, JO (2009) Managing Africa’s Natural Resources to Mitigate Land Degradation: A Soil Science Perspective. Agrarian Science for Sustainable Resource Management in Sub-Saharan Africa, Studies in sub-Saharan Africa Vol. 3. ISBN 978-3-631-58524-5.
Ogunwole, JO, Chaudhary, DR, Ghosh, A et al (2008) Contribution of Jatropha curcas to soil quality improvement in a degraded Indian entisol. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B-Plant Soil Science 58:245–251
Peskett, L, Slater, R., Stevens, C, Dufey, A (2007) Biofuels, agriculture and poverty reduction Overseas Development Institute 107: 1–6.
Reynolds, WD, Drury, CF, Tan, CS et al (2009) Use of indicators and pore volume-functions characteristics to quantify soil physical quality. Geoderma 152: 215–225.
Sahoo, NK, Kumar, A, Sharma, S, Naik, SN (2009) Interaction of Jatropha curcas plantation with ecosystem. Proceedings of International Conference on energy and environment. EnviroEnergy, March 19–21. ISSN: 2070-3740, 666–671
Scherr, SJ, Yadav, S, (1996) Land degradation in the developing world: implications for food, agriculture, and environment to 2020. Food, Agriculture and the Environment Discussion Paper 14. International Food Policy Research Institute, New York: USA.
Sieg, K, (2006) Flowers in the desert. In: New Energy (Magazine for Renewable Energy) 5: 54–57. Berlin Germany.
Stocking, MA, (2003) Tropical soils and food security: the next 50 years. Science 302:1356–1359
Tilman, D, Socolow, R, Foley, J et al (2009) Beneficial biofuels-the food, energy, and environment trilemma. Science 325: 270–271.
Tappan, G, McGahuey, M (2007) Tracking environmental dynamics and agricultural intensification in southern Mali. Agricultural Systems 94: 38–51.
UN (United Nations) (2003) World population prospects-the 2002 revision, United Nations, New York.
UNCCD (1994) United Nations Convention to combat Desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa-final text of the convention, UNCCD, Bonn.
UNEP (2012) The benefits of soil carbon. In: The United National Environment Programme (UNEP) Yearbook 2012.UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ogunwole, J.O., Alabi, O., Ugbabe, O., Birhanu, B.Z. (2019). Promoting Jatropha Agriculture for Sustainable Soil Capital Improvement: A Win-Win Technology for Rehabilitating Degraded Lands in Africa. In: Ayuk, E., Unuigbe, N. (eds) New Frontiers in Natural Resources Management in Africa. Natural Resource Management and Policy, vol 53. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11857-0_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11857-0_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-11856-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-11857-0
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)