Biofuel feedstock production has been identified as a possible avenue to boost rural development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the extensive promotion of biofuel crops such as jatropha and sugarcane, there are no cohesive and robust studies exploring how different types of involvement in their production affects rural income generation. This paper assesses the livelihood outcomes of different types of engagement in biofuel crop production in southern Africa using a consistent protocol between multiple study sites. In particular we use Propensity Score Matching to assess impacts on household income and expenditures across three comparative bases (i.e. total, per capita, per adult equivalent). We focus on four study sites representing the main biofuel feedstocks (sugarcane, jatropha), modes of production (small-scale, large-scale) and production practices (irrigated, rainfed) that have been promoted in southern Africa, vis-à-vis the institutional arrangements of feedstock production in each site. Households engaged in biofuel feedstock production tend to have higher incomes compared to households not engaged in such activities, particularly in sugarcane areas. However, when comparing livelihood outcomes across different production modes and practices, the picture is more mixed. In this case livelihood outcomes seem to depend on the institutional arrangements in the different sites, especially in smallholder settings. Overall, the results suggest that livelihood outcomes vary between crops, types of involvement, modes of production and institutional arrangements. Such variations must be considered carefully when designing and promoting the production biofuel feedstocks or similar cash crops, as rural development strategies in the region.

生物燃料原料生产已被确定为促进撒哈拉以南非洲农村发展的可能途径。尽管广泛推广了麻风树和甘蔗等生物燃料作物，但没有凝聚力强健的研究探索不同类型的生产参与如何影响农村创收。本文使用多个研究地点之间的一致协议评估了南部非洲不同类型生物燃料作物生产参与的生计结果。特别是，我们使用倾向得分匹配来评估三个比较基准（即总数，人均，每个成年人当量）对家庭收入和支出的影响。我们专注于四个研究地点，分别代表主要的生物燃料原料（蔗糖，麻风树），生产方式（小规模，南部非洲已针对每个地点的原料生产的制度安排，推广了大规模和生产方式（灌溉，雨养）。与未从事生物燃料原料生产的家庭相比，从事生物燃料原料生产的家庭（特别是在甘蔗地区）的收入往往较高。但是，在比较不同生产方式和实践下的生计结果时，情况更加复杂。在这种情况下，生计的结果似乎取决于不同地点的制度安排，尤其是在小农户的环境中。总体而言，结果表明，农作物的生计结果因作物，参与类型，生产方式和体制安排而异。