Socio-economic impact of Jatropha-based biofuel promotion on rural livelihoods in northern Tanzania

Abstract Background In recent years, there have been global concerns regarding the continuous use of non-renewable fossil fuels as the major source of energy. The utilization of non-renewable fossil fuels has negative effects on global warming and climate change. So far, efforts to curb the situations have tended to focus on promoting alternative renewable energy sources such as the use of biofuels to cut down emissions of green house gases. However, the production of biofuel crops has become an issue of concern in many developing countries. This is because the expansion of land for biofuel crops cultivation is directly linked to food security and the livelihoods of rural communities. The present study, therefore, aimed to evaluate the contribution of non-food biofuel crops (Jatropha curcas) to the improvement of rural household livelihoods and its impacts on food security. A survey was conducted in 84 households in Arumeru and Siha Districts in the northern Tanzania.Results The results revealed that the introduction of Jatropha as a cash crop had no significant impact on the rural livelihoods since the five capitals of the framework have not optimally been utilised despite their presence. It was further revealed that Jatropha cultivation has not affected food security. This is contrary to fears that biofuels could generally have a negative impact on food security especially in developing countries. The crop had not been regarded as a cash crop or a biofuel; thus, a very little percentage of land owned by the respondents had been allocated for its cultivation. The importance of Jatropha in the study area has yet to be recognised and given the special attention it requires.Conclusions It can be concluded that, the current situation does not indicate any significant impact of Jatropha cultivation on food security. However, it has little contribution to livelihood improvement of the smallholder farmers. Therefore, research on the improvement of Jatropha productivity under optimum conditions and pricing should be further undertaken in different areas of the country.