8,000 Pongamia Seedlings

The Energy Farming nursery at the Tibetan Rabgayling Settlement is currently growing over 8,000 pongamia seedlings. Tending to a nursery of this size requires lots of attention to ensure that the seedlings get the right amount of water, sunlight, and nutrients.

A shade net protects the pongamia seedlings from the intense mid-day sun.

During the summer, temperatures in South India reach as high as 110º F. Mature pongamia trees can withstand high temperatures, but seedlings need extra protection. A shade net was built to cover the nursery during this very hot part of the year.

To encourage higher seed yields from the pongamia trees, Energy Farming utilizes a technique known as grafting. When a seedling’s stem is about pencil thick, a notch is cut into the top of the seedling and a branch from a mature, high-yielding pongamia tree is attached to the seedling. From that point forward, the seedling is pruned to ensure that all future growth comes from this added branch. The branch, like its parent tree, will produce a high volume of seeds for maximum biofuel extraction. This technique also encourages earlier fruit bearing—normally a pongamia tree won’t produce seeds until the 7th year, but a grafted tree produces in the 4th year.

The nursery is organized by seedling size. After the larger seedlings have been grafted and pruned, they are planted with the other pongamia trees in the fields. Continued pruning ensures that the plants are well balanced and helps maximize the fruit bearing external branches. As seedlings are taken out of the nursery, new seeds are planted to replace them. In this way, a constant stream of growth is maintained from seed to establishment.

New seeds are planted in the nursery.

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 Rabgayling 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 Rabgayling 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.

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 Rabgayling 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 Rabgayling 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.

Protecting the Pongamia Plantation

3,500 pongamia seedlings have been planted at the Himalayan Institute Energy Farming demonstration site at the Tibetan Rabgayling Settlement.

The seedlings have been doing very well and are now about 3-4 feet tall. Once fully mature, the seeds from these trees will be used to produce biofuel, which will help to bring jobs and sustainability to the settlement.

Stakes are used to keep the young trees upright and strong.

Recently, elephants and cattle have wandered onto the plantation, damaging some of the trees in the process. The local Energy Farming team, made up of a Project Supervisor and three assistants, quickly went into action to address the problem. They installed a solar electric fence to protect the plantation. It was a perfect choice – the fence was made from affordable materials (stakes and wire) and since it runs on solar power it will provide a sustainable solution to what could have been a serious problem.

The new solar electric fence at the Energy Farming plantation site.

More trouble bubbled up when an underground irrigation pipeline burst. Again the local team was quick to respond – the pipe was dug up and the broken piece was replaced. The ability to address problems such as these as they arise is what will continue to make the Energy Farming project a success and the team at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement has shown that they are up to the challenge!

Preparing the Land

The Himalayan Institute Energy Farming team at the Tibetan Rabgayling Settlement has set to work preparing the land for planting young pongamia seedlings. Currently, the seedlings are doing very well at their nursery where they were planted only a few months ago.

A tractor from the Rabgayling Settlement Farmers Cooperative has been used to clear the thorny brushes and creepers that cover the plantation site. Himalayan Institute volunteer Virat Xavier said, “I’m very happy to see the tractor! We are on track and ready to start the plantation phase.”

After clearing most of the land, the Energy Farming team has now begun to take measurements, place markers and dig pits where the pongamia will be planted. To help generate local employment, a team of a dozen local workers were hired for several weeks to dig all of the pits by hand.

The pits are dug in a 4 meter by 5 meter grid throughout the plantation land. After being dug, about a pound of neem cake is added as an organic pesticide as well as 5 pounds of organic compost. After the pit is partially refilled, the seedling is placed in the pit and the remaining soil is then put in. The extra soil that is left is used to form a ring around the base of the tree. This ring is used for micro rainwater harvesting. When rainwater falls, it naturally collects in the basin and can be slowly absorbed into the soil instead of running off. The moisture is further protected by a layer of mulch from local crop waste, such as from a rice paddy or hay, which is placed in a thick layer around the base of the tree.

The local community is excited about the project. Seeds from the pongamia trees can be turned into biodiesel, which will provide the settlement with a new cash crop, more jobs, and increased self-sufficiency.

Elderly monks from the local monastery rest at the entrance to the pongamia plantation.

For more information about the Himalayan Institute Energy Farming project at the Tibetan Rabgayling Settlement, see “Energy Farming Plants New Seeds”.