Thanks for the response. I partly agree – it had to do with the failure of a business (not a developer) that allowed its position of power to over promise to the farmer. It was surely not a developer who would have ensured that the livelihood of the farmers was not endangered.

On the details of the castor mono cropping, remember that these are farmers without resources or knowledge of growing castor, who were offered a new income source with promises of three crops a year – not surprising if they over did it and ended in difficulties. Even if the farmers did plant more than they were apparently advised, it is still my feeling that the company failed because they did not understand farmers’ situation and needs and develop appropriate implementation plans and responses.

I clearly didn’t say that castor or jatropha (first generation biofuels) are going to starve farmers. I said that in this case because of the way the business handled it, the farmers suffered. I also note that I am unsure of the role of small farmers in large biofuel projects because of the scale – it probably belongs to commercial farming. Small scale production of biodiesel for local fuel use is probably a viable option for subsistence farmers.

Yes Diligent is doing a good job, but I see them as more development focussed, therefore being a bit more professional in how they deal with subsistence farmers. This is reflected In them being much smaller, with only 3000 growers after three years of operation.

The rest of your comments seems to be unrelated to what I was discussing and the point I was making so thanks again.

Also, I am dubious of the claim that “if he hadn’t grown castor, we could have fed his family”…this flies in the face of how castor and jatropha are cultivated. you don’t need to monocrop…its not an either or, if the soil is good enough to grow food crops in the first place, intercroping works quite well. In fact the economics of jatropha in particular don’t work for it to be a sole crop on land where food commodities can be grown: its more financially adventageous to grow food crops, as a rule

There are many examples where jatropha and castor developers have been much more careful and capable in their execution, resulting in great success for $1 per day people. Diligent is one example.

It is simply rubbish to say carte blanche that a next gen biofuel crop like jatropha or castor are somehow going to starve Africans…it is way, way, way to simplistic. Whats needed are MORE options for Africans to have as tools, carefully used, to reduce poverty. Biofuels can and will be one of those tools, but those looking for a quick buck from this will always fail, it must be done sustainably, with reasonable profit expectations, and done in cooperation with local leadership in African countries where there is relatively better rule of law.

The irony, according to most sustainable development folks I know is that the recent crash in food prices (thereby largely undercutting the idea that biofuels were responsible) will deter what was a ramp up in African countries being able to compete cost-wise with their subsidized developed world farmer counterparts. THAT will shrink African food production in a significant way, not biofuels.

So, please stop with this overly simplistic biofuels are evil drivel. You’re not only wasting time, but you are in fact HURTING the cause of developing world self-sufficiency.

Yes, biofuels and all other agricultural efforts (food too), must be done smarter, but your myopic argument here completely misses the mark.

way to go, dumb dumb.