Marie is a PhD student in Human ecology at the School of Global Studies in Gothenburg. She has focused her reserarch on biofuels, power and social change in Moçambique/Zambia/Brasilien.

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“Jatropha – an energy crop in the making”
The seminar will deal with Jatropha, the small shrub that could, maybe, mitigate climate change, develop rural areas and secure energy at the same time. As such, the seminar will deal with controversy, magic claims and political priorities. In particular, it will be a story about a poor man’s crop that conquered powerful boardrooms, political agendas and vast territories within a couple of years. How? In contrast to many other types of sources for fuel, Jatropha makes certain claims in reference to sustainability. Jatropha particularly maintains being a win-win-win and pro-poor solution. However, in my reading, Jatropha just happened to be at the right table at the right time, holding a set of timely and multifunctional cards. The seminar will discuss some of its jokers and whether they are jokes or not...