6.4 Conclusions
143
bargaining power, technical assistance from the government or contracting companies to build local capacity, and eventually local value addition, such as vegetable oil
extraction at the village level. The importance of climbing up to value-added production stages is well-understood in India as a whole, as seen in the flagship Make in India
campaign to add value domestically. However, it remains broadly neglected when it
comes to local communities and rural development strategies through biofuels or the
bioeconomy.
Fourth, India’s high rural energy poverty rate creates ample room for locally using
biofuels, and its farmers often are keen to produce renewable energy (Winkler et al.
2018). Nonetheless, this requires direct investments in oilseed crushing, vegetable oil
processing, and electrification infrastructure. Finally, given the freshwater scarcity
and dependence on monsoon rainfall in much of the country, greater feedstock diversity and less water-demanding crops than sugarcane and jatropha would make environmental sense. Alternatives could include sweet sorghum for ethanol (Basavaraj
et al. 2013) and native oil-bearing species such as neem or pongamia for biodiesel,
trees which may have longer maturation periods but provide better results in the
medium term (see Altenburg et al. 2009).
India’s biofuel governance would also be more equitable by taking smallholder
networks, cooperatives, and representative NGOs on board in biofuel (or other biobased) value-chain planning and policy-making. It is legitimate that local communities decide what rural development strategies they prefer, which may or may not
include biofuels. Yet any significant policy changes may require further agency from
critics of India’s dominant biofuel agenda. Such actors would need not only to deconstruct the “pro-poor” argument of the mainstream agenda but also to articulate a
common advocacy position and complement their resources around a credible alternative strategy. Alternative strategies would need testing and clear prospects for how
they can help meet the country’s rural development and energy needs, so as to gain
political support. For that, greater participation of socially oriented businesses may
be particularly useful to fill financial gaps and demonstrate economic viability.
As the bioeconomy broadens, it is essential to learn the lessons from this ample
biofuels experience rather than only do more of the same.
References
Achten WMJ, Verchot L, Franken YJ, Mathijs E, Singh VP et al (2008) Jatropha bio-diesel
production and use. Biomass Bioenergy 32(12):1063–1084
Agoramoorthy G, Hsu MJ, Chaudhary S, Shieh P (2009) Can biofuel crops alleviate tribal poverty
in India’s drylands? Appl Energ 86:S118–S124
Altenburg T, Dietz H, Hahl M, Nikolidakis N, Rosendahl C et al (2009) Biodiesel in India: value
chain organisation and policy options for rural development. German Development Institute,
Bonn
Aradhey A (2012) India biofuels annual 2012. GAIN Report IN2081. US Department of Agriculture,
Global Agricultural Information Network, New Delhi
143
bargaining power, technical assistance from the government or contracting companies to build local capacity, and eventually local value addition, such as vegetable oil
extraction at the village level. The importance of climbing up to value-added production stages is well-understood in India as a whole, as seen in the flagship Make in India
campaign to add value domestically. However, it remains broadly neglected when it
comes to local communities and rural development strategies through biofuels or the
bioeconomy.
Fourth, India’s high rural energy poverty rate creates ample room for locally using
biofuels, and its farmers often are keen to produce renewable energy (Winkler et al.
2018). Nonetheless, this requires direct investments in oilseed crushing, vegetable oil
processing, and electrification infrastructure. Finally, given the freshwater scarcity
and dependence on monsoon rainfall in much of the country, greater feedstock diversity and less water-demanding crops than sugarcane and jatropha would make environmental sense. Alternatives could include sweet sorghum for ethanol (Basavaraj
et al. 2013) and native oil-bearing species such as neem or pongamia for biodiesel,
trees which may have longer maturation periods but provide better results in the
medium term (see Altenburg et al. 2009).
India’s biofuel governance would also be more equitable by taking smallholder
networks, cooperatives, and representative NGOs on board in biofuel (or other biobased) value-chain planning and policy-making. It is legitimate that local communities decide what rural development strategies they prefer, which may or may not
include biofuels. Yet any significant policy changes may require further agency from
critics of India’s dominant biofuel agenda. Such actors would need not only to deconstruct the “pro-poor” argument of the mainstream agenda but also to articulate a
common advocacy position and complement their resources around a credible alternative strategy. Alternative strategies would need testing and clear prospects for how
they can help meet the country’s rural development and energy needs, so as to gain
political support. For that, greater participation of socially oriented businesses may
be particularly useful to fill financial gaps and demonstrate economic viability.
As the bioeconomy broadens, it is essential to learn the lessons from this ample
biofuels experience rather than only do more of the same.
References
Achten WMJ, Verchot L, Franken YJ, Mathijs E, Singh VP et al (2008) Jatropha bio-diesel
production and use. Biomass Bioenergy 32(12):1063–1084
Agoramoorthy G, Hsu MJ, Chaudhary S, Shieh P (2009) Can biofuel crops alleviate tribal poverty
in India’s drylands? Appl Energ 86:S118–S124
Altenburg T, Dietz H, Hahl M, Nikolidakis N, Rosendahl C et al (2009) Biodiesel in India: value
chain organisation and policy options for rural development. German Development Institute,
Bonn
Aradhey A (2012) India biofuels annual 2012. GAIN Report IN2081. US Department of Agriculture,
Global Agricultural Information Network, New Delhi