The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution

Food, Feed, Fuel, and Forests

Derek Byerlee, Walter P. Falcon, and Rosamond L. Naylor

Examines the world's most dynamic agricultural sector in recent decades
Explains the drivers of rapid growth from both the demand and supply side and gives informed guesses on the future of the industry
Explores a major source of land use change and deforestation in the tropics
Provides a balanced view of the economic, social, and environmental benefits and costs of the oil crops revolution

The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution

Food, Feed, Fuel, and Forests

Derek Byerlee, Walter P. Falcon, and Rosamond L. Naylor

Description

Global production of soybeans and palm oil has increased enormously in the tropics over the last two decades. The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution provides a broad synthesis of the major supply and demand drivers in their production; their economic, social, and environmental impacts; and the future outlook to 2050.

The planting of these crops is controversial because they are often sown on formerly forested or savanna lands, rely on large farmers and agribusiness rather than smallholders for their development, and largely supply export markets. This book provides a comparative perspective on their expansion with exports increasingly concentrated in Southeast Asia and South America. Because these crops are used for food, cooking, animal feed, and biofuels, they have entered the agriculture, food, and energy chains of many countries, linking consumers across the world to distant producers in a handful of exporting countries.

This book is a profound examination of the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the oil crop revolution in the tropics. While both economic benefits and social and environmental costs have been huge, the outlook is for reduced trade-offs and more sustainable outcomes as the oil crop revolution slows and the global, national and local communities converge on ways to better manage land use changes and land rights.

The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution

Food, Feed, Fuel, and Forests

Derek Byerlee, Walter P. Falcon, and Rosamond L. Naylor

Chapter 1: The Many Dimensions of the Tropical Oil Crop Revolution

Chapter 2: Oil Palm Production and Supply Chains

Chapter 3: Soybean Production and Supply Chains in the Tropics

Chapter 4: Food Demand for Vegetable Oils

Chapter 5: Demand for Oil Meal for Animal Feed and the Joint Production of Oil

Chapter 6: Biodiesel: A Source of Growth and Uncertainty in Vegetable Oil Markets

Chapter 7: Vegetable Oil Trade and Markets

Chapter 8: Contributions to Growth, Jobs, Food Security and Smallholder Development

Chapter 9: Land Use and the Sustainability Challenge

Chapter 10: Conclusions: The Future Will Not be Like the Past

The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution

Food, Feed, Fuel, and Forests

Derek Byerlee, Walter P. Falcon, and Rosamond L. Naylor

Author Information

Derek Byerlee is a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, and Editor-in-Chief of the Global Food Security journal. He previously held senior positions in the World Bank and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and has served on many international advisory bodies. His recent work has focused on inclusive agribusiness, large-scale farming, land use change and deforestation, and land governance.

Walter P. Falcon is Farnsworth Professor of International Agricultural Policy (Emeritus) and Senior Fellow at Stanford University. He is a specialist on food policy, especially in Asia, and has also played important leadership roles in international agricultural research organizations. He holds a PhD from Harvard in economics and is the winner of numerous scholarly and public service awards.

Rosamond L. Naylor is the William Wrigley Professor of Earth Systems Science and the Director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment at Stanford University. She completed her graduate degrees at the London School of Economics and Stanford's Food Research Institute, and Naylor's research focuses on the economic and policy dimensions of global food systems. She and her students execute field research projects focused on food security and environmental issues related to agriculture and aquaculture in several countries. She is an advisor to Stockholm's Beijer Institute, the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, The Nature Conservancy, and the Aspen Global Change Institute.

The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution

Food, Feed, Fuel, and Forests

Derek Byerlee, Walter P. Falcon, and Rosamond L. Naylor

Reviews and Awards

"This book tells the fascinating story of how the sudden world's appetite for vegetable oils has caused a revolution in global agriculture, spurring rural growth but driving massive deforestation along the way." -- Eric Lambin, George and Setsuko Ishiyama Provostial Professor, Stanford University

"The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution provides an urgently needed, rigorous and objective assessment of the issues and should be read by all concerned with conservation and development in humid tropical countries." -- Jeffrey Sayer, founding Director General, Center for International Forestry Research

"The tropical oils revolution is perhaps the most important development in developing country agriculture since the Green Revolution. This book is a pleasure to read, and a superb, balanced guide to the most controversial crops of this century." -- David Dawe, Senior Economist, Agricultural Development Economics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

"Tropical oils lie at the very epicenter of efforts to move the global food system toward sustainability. Byerlee, Falcon, and Naylor provide a vital factual and analytical underpinning to those efforts." -- Jim Leape, former Director General of World Wildlife Fund International

"This is a comprehensive study on the economics of tropical oils crops, covering many different important aspects and will become a guide for those interested in the issue." -- Joaquim Bento de Souza Ferreira Filho, Professor Titular, Universidade de São Paulo

"The book is an outstanding achievement, strongly recommended for academics, students, policy makers, civil society advocates, and development professionals, as well as anyone interested in the future of agriculture in a globalizing world." -- Rob Cramb, Professor of Agricultural Development, The University of Queensland

"Essential and thought-provoking reading for all interested in agricultural development and the future of land use in the tropics!" -- Ken Giller, Professor of Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University, The Netherlands