Apr 26 2010
With the increase in worldwide demand for biofuels that necessitates changes in the types of crops being grown, more and more farmers in Africa face the risk of being evicted from their by government projects and investors.
A University of Edinburgh study concludes that the usage of farmland for cultivating crops for biofuels can put livelihoods at risk. Tom Molony, who worked on the study, commented that the usage of farmlands for biofuel generation by investors and government projects can lead to the rural poor being evicted out of their lands.
The production of global biofuels trebled during 2003 to 2007 and is estimated to double by 2011. African countries such as Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mauritius have introduced pro-biofuel national strategies.
Tom Molony added that Daewoo Logistics, a South Korean company, attempted to purchase a vast area of land in Madagascar to farm palm oil and corn for biofuel. This is an attempt by wealthy nations to exploit poorer nations.
Organisations such as the World Bank have indicated that the usage of farmland to generate biofuels has resulted in increase in food prices, which in turn has forced millions of Africans into poverty.