Economics of Emerging Biofuel Value Chains

The book presents an analysis of the creation and distribution of wealth as well as impacts of alternative ethanol blending levels and indigenisation policies along the emerging Chisumbanje sugarcane bio ethanol value chain in Zimbabwe. A new approach for analysing impacts of large scale land investments which involved value chain governance analysis, supply utilization accounts, modification and customisation of input-output (I-O) modelling and counterfactual analysis was applied. Situated, within the context of global discourse on large-scale land investments, the book presents quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence on how economic agents are organized, how resources and income are distributed and impacts of policies along similar emerging biofuel value chains. It is shown that this emerging value chain is characterized by the pervasiveness of monopolistic tendencies, dominance of powerful private corporates while distribution of benefits is skewed towards the powerful. The author recommends further research work on the nexus between energy (fuel), water scarcity and food security within the context of large-scale land investments