Sustainability Begets Unsustainability?: The European Union’s Drive for Agrofuel Crop Farming in Africa

Abstract

The mandatory target for the European Union (EU) for the use of  renewable energy in transport by the year 2020 has created a situation where the African continent has witnessed a number of European agricultural firms gaining access to large tracts of land in order to grow crops for the production of agrofuels. This article maintains that in the current context where there are already existing intractable land conflicts on the continent, the EU’s campaign will, instead of bringing about much-needed development in Africa, actually exacerbate the already contentious situation and moreover result in a further weakening of economies and social stability of local communities. This article concludes by providing mitigation measures to assist in addressing large-scale land investments in general on the continent.