Biofuels & Energy Farming
One of the Institute’s most successful rural empowerment projects centers around energy farming. The concept of energy farming promotes sustainable rural economic development through the cultivation of a variety of energy crops, focusing on the Pongamia pinnata tree. Energy farming is flexible in implementation but provides a stable economic output with reliable market linkage and consistently high demand for the end product—energy. The model offers unique implementation strategies for arable farm land as well as underutilized and waste lands, and is tailored to the specific needs of small and marginal farmers.
Rural farmers are trained in the cultivation of energy crops and provided with the financial, material, and logistical support. The end products are bio-diesel and bio-gas, with a multitude of applications including transportation, electricity production, and cooking fuel.
The Institute initiated its first energy farming projects in South India in 2003, in collaboration with Roshini Biotech and Rahul Medical Society. Today these projects have spread throughout India and Africa. For more about our efforts in the field of energy farming, and background on the project’s origins in South India, see the Seeds of Hope article below.
Energy Farming in South India:
Seeds Of Hope
Video:
Energy Farming Presentation - Sacred Link Conference 2004
Yoga Plus Article Reprints:
Ozwald Boateng Interview
8 Things Every Good Citizen Should Know About Energy Farming