People considered Jatropha some kind of miracle plant which will produce tonnes of oil without nutrition, water and good land and good seed or good climate. Researchers are not needed. Agrotechnology is not to be developed and all one has to do is to find some wasteland and put some seeds and within a year or two open a refinery .
This is against the basic principles of biology and plant physiology.
All plants including Jatropha need a soil base, which must have some level of organic matter, pH in neutral zone or nearabout,
nitrogen and other nutrients in abundance and minerals and growth regulators in proper interactive role.
People were very buisy bying lands or acquiring them so that the land will remain and its cost will appreciate let the plants die.
This may not be true in all cases.
A plant needs a tested seed source , fertile land and irrigation and nutrient uptake and utilization.
Jatropha is no exception except that it can grow on a land where present day crops may not grow but it will not grow on a wasteland . It also depends how you define the term wasteland.
It required phorphorus, nitrogen and potassium in some balance.
It needs irrigation at the time of flowering.
Jatropha is like any other plant and is not a holy cow giving buckets of milk without getting any feed .
Find Jatropha , Love Jatropha , feed Jatropha and get some returns
Otherway round is not possible.
Choice is yours.