This study analysed factors that influence household's decision to plant Jatropha curcas and the extent of land conversion to J. curcas. Results indicate that age, education of household head, availability of labour and ownership of uncultivated land have a positive influence on land allocation to J. curcas whereas ownership of livestock and non-farm income deterred households from cultivating the crop. This suggests that poor households with no off-farm income are more likely to adopt J. curcas than richer households with livestock and income from non-farm activities. In general, the results suggest that individual and household characteristics are important determinants of decision to plant J. curcas and scale-up its adoption. This calls for designing appropriate strategies and regulatory frameworks to harness the potential economic opportunities from J. curcas cultivation, while protecting the environment and rural communities from the adverse effects of land alienation from the mainstream agriculture for J. curcas cultivation at the expense of traditional crops. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.