Between 2004 and 2007, NGOs, community based organisations and private investors promoted jatropha in Kenya with the aim of generating additional income and producing biofuel for rural development. By 2008 it became gradually evident that jatropha plantations (both mono- and intercropping) are uneconomical and risky due to competition for land and labour with food crops. Cultivation of jatropha hedges was found to have better chances of economic success and to present only little risks for the adopting farmers. Still, after 2008 a number of farmers went on adopting jatropha in plots rather than as hedges. It is hypothesised that lack of awareness about the low economic prospects of jatropha plantations was the main reason for continued adoption, and that smallholder farmers with higher resource endowments mainly ventured into its cultivation.In this study we provide an empirical basis for understanding the role of households' capital assets in taking up new livelihood strategies by smallholder farmers in three rural districts in Kenya. For that purpose, we assess the motivation and enabling factors that led to the adoption of jatropha as a new livelihood strategy, as well as the context in which promotion and adoption took place. A household survey was conducted in 2010, using a structured questionnaire, to collect information on household characteristics and capital asset endowment. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistical tests.We established that access to additional income and own energy supply were the main motivation for adoption of jatropha, and that financial capital assets do not necessarily have a positive influence on adoption as hypothesised. Further, we found that the main challenges that adopting farmers faced were lack of access to information on good management practices and lack of a reliable market. We conclude that continued adoption of on-farm jatropha after 2008 is a result of lacking awareness about the low economic value of this production type. We recommend abandoning on-farm production of jatropha until improved seed material and locally adapted agronomic knowledge about jatropha cultivation becomes available and its production becomes economically competitive

Due to its availability and affordability for poorer populations, wood-based biomass energy remains vital in meeting local energy demands – especially for cooking fuel – in many regions of the developing world. However, increasing feedstock scarcity (e.g. due to deforestation) coupled with the negative socio-economic and environmental outcomes of inefficient production and consumption technologies make it imperative to identify alternative energy solutions that benefit people without harming the environment. Indeed, tackling energy poverty is crucial to efforts aimed at meeting sustainable development goals at the household level. However, interventions aimed at reducing energy poverty must simultaneously seek solutions that might reduce people’s carbon footprint. Carbon footprints, or the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions linked to particular activities, are associated with climate change and its impacts. Globally, calls have intensified to reduce the carbon footprint of energy use, including use of biomass fuels. Locally, climate change issues are increasingly seen as posing particular threats to already vulnerable communities. The present paper evaluates the carbon footprints of alternative biomass energy solutions for cooking, as one key aspect of their environmental performance. It compares the carbon footprints of firewood, charcoal, biogas, jatropha oil, and crop residue briquettes. The research focuses on selected technologies for biomass energy production and consumption in two case study sites in rural and urban contexts of Kenya and Tanzania. Carbon footprinting is applied as a methodological approach to evaluating technological options for sustainable development in developing economies undergoing rapid population growth, urbanization, and industrial development. Results indicate that the unimproved charcoal value chain has a big carbon footprint. The value chain for jatropha oil appears to hold the greatest potential for carbon footprint reductions, as long as the feedstock is grown in the form of hedges around plots. However, the limited yield potential of hedges calls into question the economic viability of this solution. Results further show that carbon footprinting can help to raise awareness and inform stakeholders and decision-makers about alternative, environmentally more suitable biomass energy value chains. However, any assessment of the overall sustainability of these value chains should also integrate socio-economic aspects and factors influencing adoption

Many observers view Jatropha as a miracle plant that grows in harsh environments, halts land degradation and provides seeds for fuel production. This makes it particularly attractive for use in Ethiopia, where poverty levels are high and the degradation of agricultural land is widespread. In this article, we investigate the potentials and limitations of a government-initiated Jatropha project for smallholders in northeastern Ethiopia from a green economy perspective. Data are based on a 2009 household survey and interviews with key informants, as well as on a 2012 follow-up round of interviews with key informants. We conclude that the project has not contributed to a greener economy so far, but has the potential to do so in the future. To maximize Jatropha’s potential, interventions must focus mainly on smallholders and pay more attention to the entire biofuel value chain.