My company Mother Earth Investments AG is a bigger Friend of the Earth than the NGO "Friends of the Earth.” However, I think a discussion about Jatropha should highlight all of the pros and cons of the argument!

• Negatives. Biofuel demand is certainly driving a new "land grab” in Africa, with at least 5 million hectares (19 300 square miles) acquired by foreign firms to

grow crops in 11 countries, according to a study by the Friends of the Earth reported by Reuters in 2010. The contracts by European and Asian companies for land to grow sugarcane, Jatropha, and palm oil to be turned into fuel will involve clearing forests and vegetation, taking land that could be used for food and creating conflicts with local communities, Friends of the Earth said. Proponents of biofuels argue they are renewable and can help fight climate change because the growing plants ingest as much carbon dioxide from the air as the fuels made from them emit when burned. Critics say there is a risk of the crops infringing on land that could be used for growing food, and that destruction of rainforests to make way for palm oil and sugar outweighs any carbon benefits gained from the use of such fuels. Very often a distinction between existing agricultural land and forests, on the one hand, and new plantations on marginal land, on the other hand, is not being made. NGOs often state that forests and natural vegetation are turned into fuel crops, taking away food-growing farmland from communities and creating conflicts with local people over land ownership. The competition for land and the competi­tion for staple food crops such as rice, cassava, and sweet sorghum to produce biodiesel is likely to push up food and land prices.

• Positives. Other studies have suggested biofuel expansion would not be harmful and could even be beneficial for African agriculture. Researchers from Britain’s Imperial College, carbon trader CAMCO, and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA; www. fara-africa. org) have stated that biofuels would boost investment in land and infrastructure. They said this could have a positive effect on food production and, if properly, managed would not mean destroying natural forests.

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