Biofuel demand driving "land grab" in Africa

Posted by Big Gav in africa, agriculture, biofuel

Reuters has an article on a report that "Biofuel demand is driving a new "land grab" in Africa, with at least 5 million hectares acquired by foreign firms to grow crops in 11 countries" - Biofuel demand driving "land grab" in Africa: report.

The contracts by European and Asian companies for land to grow sugar cane, 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 in the study. ...

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. "The expansion of biofuels ... is transforming forests and natural vegetation into fuel crops, taking away food-growing farmland from communities, and creating conflicts with local people over land ownership," Mariann Bassey, a Friends of the Earth Nigeria activist, said in a statement.

1 comments

JM says 2:13 PM

Well shit, that's not gonna over well with the social forum:
http://www.redd-monitor.org/2010/08/31/social-forum-of-the-americas-rejects-redd-oh-and-capitalism/

This isn't the way to go by any means.