The Jojoba Farm: There's Oil in Them Thar Deserts

What's in a name?

Jojoba (pronounced ho-HO-ba) was first officially documented by in 1822 by German botanist Johann Link as Buxus chinensis. While this placed it in the family Buxaceae, a group of about 30 species of evergreen shrubs commonly known as boxwood, many later botanists believed its unique physical characteristics warranted placing it in its own family, thus, the name was changed to Simmondsia californica by Thomas Nuttall in 1844. Due to rules of priority governing the scientific naming of species, however, it was finally renamed Simmondsia chinensis by Austrian botanist, Camillo Karl Schneider, in 1912.

Why jojoba likes the desert

The slow-growing jojoba plants generally grow to about 6 feet (2m) tall, though they can achieve much greater height with access to more water, and can live between 100 and 200 years. They have a deep root system and dark, thick, bluish-green leaves which tilt at an upright angle to minimize sunlight exposure during the hottest part of the day and have a waxy cuticle that reduces water loss and prevents wilting. These features make jojoba particularly well suited to semiarid desert regions similar in soil chemistry and rainfall to its native region in the Sonoran Desert area of Mexico and the neighboring southwestern United States.

One little plant-So many uses

Jojoba seeds and their oil were well known to early native populations of the U.S. and Mexico. They roasted the seeds to make a coffee-like beverage, chewed them as a diet supplement and appetite suppressant, made medicines for cancer treatment and kidney disorders, and used the oil for soothing skin irritations and treating sores, cuts, bruises, and burns. Because of its unique properties, jojoba oil (actually a liquid wax with properties similar to sperm whale oil and the sebum produced by human skin) came into popular use in cosmetics following the 1971 U.S. ban on the import of sperm whale oil. It also has pharmaceutical applications, is registered (licensed for sale) for use as a botanical pesticide, and has potential use as a biodiesel fuel and a biodegradable lubricant.

The ups 'n downs... 'n ups

The promise of “liquid gold” lead to a land rush in the early 1970's as agriculturally inexperienced entrepreneurs tried their hand at jojoba farming. Many of the farms failed, however, when federal aid regulations changed. But improvements in field management, more efficient cultivation practices, and development of high-yield varieties have lead to a renewal of interest in commercial plantations.

According to the International Jojoba Export Council (IJEC), current jojoba commercial plantations exist in the desert regions of countries worldwide including Argentina, Australia, Chile, Egypt, Israel, Mexico, Peru, and the USA. In 2000, the organization predicted a 15 % increase in jojoba oil production over a 5-year period. A March 2003 article in New Scientist reported, “Arable farmers in Egypt have already started planting jojoba shrubs specifically to use the nut oil as fuel.” With continued improvements in farming practices, more discoveries for the use of this simple plant oil, and the dedication of scientists, independent farmers, commercial growers, producers, and distributors perhaps the future could see less digging for oil in protected wild places and more growing “oil in them thar deserts.”