TY - JOUR
T1 - A sweet deal? Sugarcane, water and agricultural transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa
AU - Hess, T.M.
AU - Sumberg, J.
AU - Biggs, T.
AU - Georgescu, M.
AU - Haro-Monteagudo, D.
AU - Jewitt, G.
AU - Ozdogan, M.
AU - Marshall, M.
AU - Thenkabail, P.
AU - Daccache, A.
AU - Marin, F.
AU - Knox, J.W.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research forms part of the THESIS project funded through Belmont Forum programme on global land use change and food security. The authors are grateful to their respective national funding research councils and agencies for supporting this research. The authors acknowledge funding from the UK (NERC NE/M005259/1) , the USA (NSF grant EAR-1204774) and Brazil (FAPESP) . Enquiries for access to the data referred to in this article should be directed to [email protected] .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Authors.
PY - 2016/7/1
Y1 - 2016/7/1
N2 - Globally, the area of sugarcane is rising rapidly in response to growing demands for bioethanol and increased sugar demand for human consumption. Despite considerable diversity in production systems and contexts, sugarcane is a particularly "high impact" crop with significant positive and negative environmental and socio-economic impacts. Our analysis is focused on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which is a critical region for continued expansion, due to its high production potential, low cost of production and proximity, and access, to European markets. Drawing on a systematic review of scientific evidence, combined with information from key informants, stakeholders and a research-industry workshop, we critically assess the impacts of sugarcane development on water, soil and air quality, employment, food security and human health. Our analysis shows that sugarcane production is, in general, neither explicitly good nor bad, sustainable nor unsustainable. The impacts of expansion of sugarcane production on the environment and society depend on the global political economy of sugar, local context, quality of scheme, nature of the production system and farm management. Despite threats from climate change and forthcoming changes in the trade relationship with the European Union, agricultural development policies are driving national and international interest and investment in sugarcane in SSA, with expansion likely to play an important role in sustainable development in the region. Our findings will help guide researchers and policy makers with new insights in understanding the situated environmental and social impacts associated with alternative sugar economy models, production technologies and qualities of management.
AB - Globally, the area of sugarcane is rising rapidly in response to growing demands for bioethanol and increased sugar demand for human consumption. Despite considerable diversity in production systems and contexts, sugarcane is a particularly "high impact" crop with significant positive and negative environmental and socio-economic impacts. Our analysis is focused on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which is a critical region for continued expansion, due to its high production potential, low cost of production and proximity, and access, to European markets. Drawing on a systematic review of scientific evidence, combined with information from key informants, stakeholders and a research-industry workshop, we critically assess the impacts of sugarcane development on water, soil and air quality, employment, food security and human health. Our analysis shows that sugarcane production is, in general, neither explicitly good nor bad, sustainable nor unsustainable. The impacts of expansion of sugarcane production on the environment and society depend on the global political economy of sugar, local context, quality of scheme, nature of the production system and farm management. Despite threats from climate change and forthcoming changes in the trade relationship with the European Union, agricultural development policies are driving national and international interest and investment in sugarcane in SSA, with expansion likely to play an important role in sustainable development in the region. Our findings will help guide researchers and policy makers with new insights in understanding the situated environmental and social impacts associated with alternative sugar economy models, production technologies and qualities of management.
KW - ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE
KW - ITC-HYBRID
KW - Agriculture
KW - Development
KW - Livelihoods
KW - Impact
KW - Sugar
KW - Water resources
UR - https://ezproxy2.utwente.nl/login?url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.05.003
UR - https://ezproxy2.utwente.nl/login?url=https://webapps.itc.utwente.nl/library/2016/isi/marshall_swe.pdf
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84973154882&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.05.003
DO - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.05.003
M3 - Article
SN - 0959-3780
VL - 39
SP - 181
EP - 194
JO - Global environmental change
JF - Global environmental change
ER -