3.3.2 Impacts of Industrial Crops on Food Security
3.3.2.1 Main Literature Patterns
Figure 3.9 outlines the number of identified studies for each of the targeted industrial
crops. Industrial crops such as coffee and cocoa that have a long history of production in SSA, account for many of the studies. Surprisingly there are very few studies
for crops with an equally long history of production such as coffee, tobacco and
cocoa. Even more surprising is that jatropha studies account for a very large portion
of the overall studies, considering the very brief history of the crop in SSA (since
mid-2000s) and its widespread collapse across the continent only after a few years.
This might reflect the increasing interest that industrial crops have received in the
academic literature in the 2010s, which coincides with the recent land rush and the
rising prominence of the “food vs. fuel debate” (Sects. 3.1 and 3.4.1).
More than half of the studies report work solely from institutions outside SSA
(55%), 18% are collaborative research between SSA and non-SSA institutions, and
only 15% solely from SSA institutions (Fig. 3.10a). The majority of these studies
focuses on local level effects (52%), with also a significant fraction focusing at the
sub-national (17%) and national (19%) levels (Fig. 3.10b). Qualitative, quantitative
and mix-method research approaches are represented relatively evenly between
studies (Fig. 3.10c). Most studies focus on historic and baseline trends, with only
a minority using predictive approaches to understand the possible outcomes of future
industrial crop expansion (Fig. 3.10d).
“Access to food” and “food availability” are by far the most widely studied pillars
of food security, with 80 and 93 studies, respectively (Fig. 3.11b). “Food stability” is
also relatively well-represented (58 studies), whereas “food utilization” is the least
studied (20 studies) (Fig. 3.11b). Relatively numerous jatropha and cotton studies
Fig. 3.9 Number of studies for each crop
108
M. P. Jarzebski et al.
3.3.2.1 Main Literature Patterns
Figure 3.9 outlines the number of identified studies for each of the targeted industrial
crops. Industrial crops such as coffee and cocoa that have a long history of production in SSA, account for many of the studies. Surprisingly there are very few studies
for crops with an equally long history of production such as coffee, tobacco and
cocoa. Even more surprising is that jatropha studies account for a very large portion
of the overall studies, considering the very brief history of the crop in SSA (since
mid-2000s) and its widespread collapse across the continent only after a few years.
This might reflect the increasing interest that industrial crops have received in the
academic literature in the 2010s, which coincides with the recent land rush and the
rising prominence of the “food vs. fuel debate” (Sects. 3.1 and 3.4.1).
More than half of the studies report work solely from institutions outside SSA
(55%), 18% are collaborative research between SSA and non-SSA institutions, and
only 15% solely from SSA institutions (Fig. 3.10a). The majority of these studies
focuses on local level effects (52%), with also a significant fraction focusing at the
sub-national (17%) and national (19%) levels (Fig. 3.10b). Qualitative, quantitative
and mix-method research approaches are represented relatively evenly between
studies (Fig. 3.10c). Most studies focus on historic and baseline trends, with only
a minority using predictive approaches to understand the possible outcomes of future
industrial crop expansion (Fig. 3.10d).
“Access to food” and “food availability” are by far the most widely studied pillars
of food security, with 80 and 93 studies, respectively (Fig. 3.11b). “Food stability” is
also relatively well-represented (58 studies), whereas “food utilization” is the least
studied (20 studies) (Fig. 3.11b). Relatively numerous jatropha and cotton studies
Fig. 3.9 Number of studies for each crop
108
M. P. Jarzebski et al.