The tropical oil crop revolution : food, feed, fuel, and forests

The work provides a broad synthesis of the major supply and demand drivers of the dramatic expansion of oil crops in the tropics; its economic, social, and environmental impacts; and the future outlook to 2050. It is a comprehensive review of the oil crop sector with a major focus on oil palm and soybeans, the two most dynamic crops in world agriculture in recent decades. Abstract: The work provides a broad synthesis of the major supply and demand drivers of the dramatic expansion of oil crops in the tropics; its economic, social, and environmental impacts; and the future outlook to 2050. It is a comprehensive review of the oil crop sector with a major focus on oil palm and soybeans, the two most dynamic crops in world agriculture in recent decades 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 overall aim of the book is to provide a broad synthesis of the major supply and demand drivers of the rapid expansion of oil crops in the tropics; its economic, social, and environmental impacts; and the future outlook to 2050. After introducing the dramatic surge in oil crops, chapters provide a comparative perspective from different producing regions for two of the world's most important crops, oil palm and soybeans in the tropics. The following chapters examine the drivers of demand of vegetable oils for food, animal feed, and biodiesel and introduce the reader to price formation in vegetable oil markets and the role of trade in linking consumers across the world to distant producers in a handful of exporting countries. The remaining chapters review evidence on 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 managed land use changes and land rights