Africa: Land-Grabbing in Africa - the Why and the How

Nikolaj Nielsen

8 October 2009

Two years ago singer-songwriter and activist Bob Geldof was so excited about
biofuels he even became the special advisor to biomass company Helius. At the
time, Geldof visited jatropha curcas plantations in Swaziland run by UK
biodiesel producer D1 Oils. Geldof was quoted as saying that these plantations
had 'life changing potential'. Since then, D1 Oils dropped out and Mr Geldof
silenced.

HIV/AIDS victims in Swaziland were 'targeted to plant jatropha and promised easy
money', said Adrian Bebb at Friends of the Earth International (FoE) in a
telephone interview with Pambazuka News. But jatropha was a cause supported by
rhetoric and a science that neglected the socio-cultural impact. The perennial
plant would produce inedible oil and any financial gain would depend entirely on
the biodiesel plant operator, which pulled out. The crops planted in marginal
lands were also unable to produce any sufficient yields. Those who worked the
land were left empty-handed and considerably worse off.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200910080963.html