The political ecology of Jatropha plantations for biodiesel in Tamil Nadu, India
Ariza-Montobbio, Pere (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Lele, Sharachandra (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)(Bangalore, Índia))
Kallis, Giorgos (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Martínez Alier, Joan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Date:	2010
Description:	30 p.
Abstract:	Jatropha curcas is promoted internationally for its presumed agronomic viability in marginal lands, economic returns for small farmers, and lack of competition with food crops. However, empirical results from a study in southern India revealed that Jatropha cultivation, even on agricultural lands, is neither profitable, nor pro-poor. We use a political ecology framework to analyze both the discourse promoting Jatropha cultivation and its empirical consequences. We deconstruct the shaky premises of the dominant discourse of Jatropha as a "pro-poor" and "pro-wasteland" development crop, a discourse that paints a win-win picture between poverty alleviation, natural resource regeneration, and energy security goals. We then draw from field-work on Jatropha plantations in the state of Tamil Nadu to show how Jatropha cultivation favors resource-rich farmers, while possibly reinforcing existing processes of marginalization of small and marginal farmers.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Series:	Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals. Working Papers on Environmental Sciences
Series:	Working Papers on Environmental Sciences ;
Document:	Working paper
Subject:	Biodièsels ; Índia ; Conreus energètics ; Política del medi ambient ; Aspectes econòmics

DOI: 10.1080/03066150.2010.512462

30 p, 274.4 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Research literature > Working papers