Energy Farming to Combat Climate Change

Energy Farming refers to the sustainable cultivation of crops that provide green energy, most notably biofuel—crops like sunflower, castor, Jatropha, and Pongamia. As the cost of petroleum rises, the need for alternative sources of energy becomes more urgent. Energy Farming empowers rural farmers to enter into the rapidly expanding alternative energy market. By utilizing organic agriculture and land management techniques, the land and the jobs that depend on that land can be sustained. Energy Farming methodology is also applicable to food, medicinal, aromatic, and cash crops, and its holistic approach increases crop productivity, decreases cost of cultivation, and stimulates environmental regeneration.

Biofuel vs. Petroleum

Biofuel—the fuel that is derived from plant oil—is vastly superior to its fossil-based counterpart when it comes to the effect it has on the environment. Engines running on biofuel emit almost no sulfur dioxide and particulate emissions are typically reduced by more than 50 percent.

Biodiesel is often blended with petrodiesel. A study by the EPA found that the more biodiesel in the mix, the greater the decreases in emissions of particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbons (HC).

On a global scale, biofuels reduce the net emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. While it is true that any burning fuel releases carbon into the atmosphere, fossil fuels are composed of carbon previously stored below the earth’s surface in the form of oil, natural gas, and coal, and as they burn they release a new load of carbon into the air. On the other hand, the carbon content of biofuels like pongamia oil has been taken directly from the atmosphere as the tree grows—even one hectare (2.47 acres) of pongamia will absorb tons of carbon every year. Burning pongamia oil instead of fossil fuels has the overall effect of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 75 percent and carbon monoxide emissions by almost 50 percent. So, planting millions of acres of pongamia will help slow global warming.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy and EPA

Pongamia – A Tough, Reliable Tree

Pongamia is the tree of choice for the Himalayan Institute Energy Farming projects. Mature Pongamia pinnata trees stand up to 50 feet high, and their dense canopy can be almost equally wide. Their hearty, dark-green leaves retain moisture even under intense heat. Small clusters of white, purple, and pink flowers blossom on their branches throughout the year, maturing into brown seed pods that litter the ground. When the seed pods are pressed, the oil that is extracted can be used as biofuel to power pumps, generators, and even heavy machinery like tractors, cars and trucks.

Flowers and young seed pods of the Pongamia pinnata.

Extreme weather conditions are no obstacle for the pongamia. The tree is well suited to the intense heat and sunlight of places like South India and its dense network of lateral roots and thick, long taproot make it drought-resistant. The tree can even help rehabilitate the land—the dense shade it provides slows the evaporation of surface water and its root structure promotes nitrogen fixation, which moves nutrients from the air into the soil. Using a grafting technique, the pongamia will begin yielding seeds in the 4th year. Upon maturity, 8-12 years thereafter, each pongamia tree will produce over 75 pounds of seed, 7 tons per acre. This is about 550 gallons of biofuel per acre. Once established, the pongamia can give a reliable harvest of seeds for fifty years.

Pongamia seedlings at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement.

Energy Farming at Tibetan Refugee Settlements

The Himalayan Institute in partnership with the Central Tibetan Administration is working to bring Energy Farming programs to Tibetan refugee settlements. The project is well underway at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement in South India:

• 4,000 Pongamia pinnata trees were planted to help regenerate fallow land and produce a sustainable biofuel crop.
• 8,000 more pongamia seedlings are maturing in the nursery.
• The project is carried out by community members from the Tibetan settlement, who are employed as managers and technicians.
• 20 acres of land have been cultivated for eco-friendly energy farming.
• Castor, another biofuel plant, has been intercropped with the pongamia.
• The Pongamia Energy Farming project is being expanded to 3 neighboring settlements, home to over 20,000 Tibetan refugees.

Climate change is a global problem that needs to be addressed through multiple methods. Energy Farming is an approach that helps reduce and repair the negative trend in global climate change while enriching the local ecosystem and empowering rural communities.

For further reading:

• Himalayan Institute Humanitarian Projects
• Yoga+ Article: Tibet in Exile—A Green Evolution
• Wikipedia: Pongamia pinnata

Today is Blog Action Day 2009. This blog and thousands of other blogs around the world have joined together to discuss this year’s topic: climate change.

Preview: October 15, 2009

On October 15, 2009, the Himalayan Institute’s humanitarian blog will participate in Blog Action Day. Blog Action Day is an international event where thousands of blog writers from around the world spend the day writing about a single issue — this year the focus is climate change. Please join us on October 15th to share in this important dialog.

Click the image below to watch a video about Blog Action Day 2009:

Energy Farming Techniques

The Himalayan Institute’s Energy Farming program utilizes organic and biovedic land cultivation techniques. By avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the Energy Farming program is able to grow healthy crops while improving the fertility of the soil. Some of these techniques that are currently in use at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement include intercropping, vermicomposting, and micro-rainwater harvesting.

Intercropping

One acre of castor has been intercropped with the pongamia. Castor is used medicinally as a laxative, a lubricant and also as a source of bio-fuel.

Often, tree-based cash crops take several years before they are producing market-ready harvests. During this time, farmers still need a source of food and income. Intercropping is an excellent solution to this problem. At the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement, pongamia trees have been planted in rows which are 5 meters apart. This gives the farmers plenty of room in between rows to plant food crops and faster yielding cash crops. Pongamia trees typically take 4 to 5 years before they produce seeds that are suitable for bio-fuel extraction.

Vermicomposting

Vermicompost is mixed into the soil at the base of each pongamia tree.

Vermicomposting is an organic composting technique in which various species of worms are fed organic waste. The result is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer which can be added directly to the soil to improve plant health, crop yields, and root growth. In addition, vermicompost reinvigorates the soil by adding microorganisms and improving the soil’s physical structure and water holding capacity.

Micro-Rainwater Harvesting

When the pongamia trees were first planted, the extra dirt that was dug out to make room for the tree and compost was used to form a ring around each tree. This ring helps to contain rainwater and prevents the run-off that would occur if the ground was flat. Pongamia thrives with lots of water, but it also has a deep tap root which enables it to survive the harshest of dry seasons. Like vermicomposting, this technique also helps to improve the soil’s water holding capacity.

It’s a Girl! The HI Cameroon Family Expands

Congratulations to Sylvia and Gisleng Folaven on their beautiful baby girl!

Shanti Folaven, just minutes old.

Shanti Folaven was born at 5:58 AM on the morning of September 7th. She weighed 6lbs 6oz. Sylvia was up and walking around just a few minutes after the delivery. The baby is also very healthy and happy.

Dad and baby.

Sylvia and Gisleng are staff members at the Himalayan Institute Cameroon where they have worked since 2007. Everyone at the HIC is so excited that they have brought a new member to the HIC family!

Mom and baby with Vivian. Vivian is also an HIC staff member and is a very good friend of Sylvia, Gisleng and now Shanti!

Internal Growth To Support Community Development

On Monday August 29th, the Himalayan Institute Cameroon held the first of a series of meetings and events that will result in an organizational overhaul of its community center operations. The goal of this reorganization is to make the center more efficient and more effective at delivering its programs to the community. By looking at the challenges and successes of the last two years, the staff will work together to identify methods for continued improvement.

HI Cameroon Managing Director Jeff Abella and General Manager Bannyuy Justine explain to staff how the reorganization process will improve the efficiency of the center.

“You have the weight of an entire community on your shoulders therefore you must remain solid to support that weight. Let’s keep working together to strengthen this organization so that we can continue to strengthen this community,” said Jeff Abella to staff. “Let’s think of this reorganizational practice as an operational reboot and system upgrade,” joked Abella as he made reference to the unreliable computer systems often found in the NW region of Cameroon. “To be effective in social development we must be confident in our approach and always think outside the box. We must also have access to cutting edge tools to support our work and the HI Community Center model is a tool in itself.”

Staff members enjoyed the introduction to this phase of internal development and were keen to hear about how the remaining 2009 activities would unfold.

In the meeting the staff recapped how Sacred Link Jewelry was the first rural empowerment program launched by HI Cameroon and how the center has since expanded to include Total Health Centers, the School of Carpentry and Construction, New Vision and the School of Energy Farming. Together these programs have touched thousands of lives in Cameroon and the numbers continue to grow. This success is due to the dedication and hard work of the local staff at the HIC. The reorganization will help to ensure that each staff member has the support they need to do the best work possible.

HI Cameroon General Manager Bannyuy Justine thanks the staff for their efforts and commitment to hard work.

The meeting concluded by distributing staff appreciation gifts and a picture slide show with Chai, cookies and puff puff (a traditional Cameroon pastry).