Natural resources conflicts and the biofuel industry: implications and proposals for Ghana

Abstract

Africa has become an important target producer of the feedstock, Jatropha
curcas L (JCL), for biofuel production. This presents opportunities for
transforming production, markets and the well-being of farmers and rural
populations in developing countries, if deals are well-structured. The
history of natural resource use confhcts in Africa has important imp Ii ca lions
for understanding current resource ecology and the social and political
relationships within it. Ghana has had varying resource management
regimes in its history. This paper seeks to relate the history of Ghana's
natural resources conflicts to the current rush for lands in Ghana for
cultivation of JCL and to discuss its implications and opportunities for a
sustainable JCL indust1y in the countly. The colonial and postcolonial land
conflicts and politics and the current and potential conflicts and
opportunities associated with the JCL indust1y are presented. The paper
offers suggestions not only for a sustainable cultivation of Jatropha, but also
for a biofuel policy in Ghana.