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Jatropha and Pongamia Rainfed Plantations on Wastelands in India for Improved Livelihoods and Protecting Environment

OAR@ICRISAT

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/4717/
 
Title Jatropha and Pongamia Rainfed Plantations on Wastelands in India for Improved Livelihoods and Protecting Environment
 
Creator Sreedevi, T K
Wani, S P
Srinivasa Rao, Ch
Chaliganti, R
Reddy, R L
 
Subject Watershed management
Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
Jatropha
 
Description Jatropha and Pangamia as biodiesel plantations are promoted by a large number of developing
and developed countries as a source for generating biodiesel. Achieving food security, meeting
the demand for sufficient food production to cater to the growing demographic pressures the
competitive demand for water and its scarcity, calls for consideration of the fact that good,
productive lands used for food production cannot be diverted for Jatropha and Pongamia
cultivation.
Results from literature also suggest that when Jatropha is grown on good quality lands, with
irrigation and intercropping with baby corn, it is not economically superior to the sole cultivation
of baby corn. In order to improve livelihoods of the rural poor by providing opportunities for
additional income from Jatropha and Pongamia plantations, ICRISAT in partnership with
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) has
developed a model to rehabilitate degraded common lands in a village. Three hundred ha
of Jatropha plantation, which is three years old, I,as stOlied producing yield. The grain yield
fram the third year onwards was 100 kg per ha and was expected to reach upto 1000 kg per
ha by the sixth year. Growing intercrops on areas where good soil existed provided additional
income for the farmers. The Jatropha and Pongamia plantations on waste lands have not
only created employment in the rural areas but also provided additional sources of income
through usufruct rights, by selling Jatropha seeds. Other impacts in terms of social capital
development, building of institutions in the villages, improving soil health through recycling
01 organic matter and enhanced soil water conservation measures, reduced soil erosion and
land degradation were also recorded. With the unique institutional mechanisms adopted in
this model for development of CPRs through collective action, landless people were organized
into self- help groups and took up labour work in the development of degraded common
property resources, such as soil and water conservation measures, supported by the project.
The District administration of the Government of Andhra Pradesh gave them usufruct rights over the plantation for harvesting the produce. Farmers are growing good quality grass and
suppolting their livestock and feed requirements from grass grown in-between the rows of
plantations. Now, with the support of GTZ and Kirlosker Engineering Pvt Ltd., we are
operationalizing a value-chain model for extracting oil through decentralized electricity
generation in the village. This model plantation of 300 ha in two villages has set a live
example of how degraded lands can successfu lly be used for praducing Jatropha and
Pongamia, without sacrificing good quality land and food security, which is very critical.
Results of the social, economic and environmental impacts from this novel, collective action
model of required degraded lands, are discussed.
 
Date 2009
 
Type Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/4717/1/JATROPHA_AND_PONGAMIA_RAINFED.pdf
Sreedevi, T K and Wani, S P and Srinivasa Rao, Ch and Chaliganti, R and Reddy, R L (2009) Jatropha and Pongamia Rainfed Plantations on Wastelands in India for Improved Livelihoods and Protecting Environment. In: 6th International Biofuels Conference, 4-5 March 2009, New Delhi, India.