Global Food Crisis, Biofuels and Land Grabs in Ghana
by Bright Owusu (Ghana mma) The time has never been riper for the people of Ghana to speak out about the terrible negligence of consecutive governments who have allowed horrendous land grabs by foreign nationals for the production of questionable biofuels from jatropha while the world is facing a crisis of enormous proportions.
Global Food Crisis
There is little doubt that the world, and Ghana for that matter, is facing one of mankind’s biggest challenges ever – a food crisis that is driving millions of people deeper into poverty by the day.
…Just as African countries have seen fossil fuels and other natural resources exploited for the benefit of richer countries, there is a risk that agrofuels, and with them, Africa’s agricultural land and natural resources, will be exported abroad with minimal benefit for local communities and national economies.”
In Ghana the NPP government jumped onto the jatropha bandwagon and allowed approximately 37% of Ghana’s arable land to be grabbed by foreign internationals, leading to unchecked pushing of small farmers, and particularly women farmers, off their land. Valuable food sources such as shea nut and dawadawa trees have also been cleared to make way for jatropha plantations.
…While all this was going on there was (and still is) no biofuel policy and no demands were made by governments that economic feasibility and environmental impact studies should be undertaken prior to commencement of the land grabs. READ MORE
