Dr. Navin Sharma is Biofuel Programme Manager with the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) based in India. He holds a Ph D in Applied Biology from the University of Cambridge and has carried out his Postdoctoral work at the University of York. Navin has over 23 years of experience in industrial R&D working with two major FMCG companies: Unilever and ITC. He is currently leading a biofuels initiative being implemented in South Asia, Latin America and Africa. http://www.worldagroforestry.org/cop12

1. Tree-based bioenergy
The Potential for sustainable and
Ecologically friendly energy
Karnataka (India) Biofuels
Navin Sharma
World Agroforestry Centre
New Delhi
Side Event: 9 October 2014

2. Current Status of Biofuels
• Excluding the land-use change, the first generation biofuels were
projected to have a GHG saving between 10 and 90%.
• Biofuels have been proposed to minimise the GHG reductions and a
potential way to achieve 2 °C target (Mitigation)
• Development of Biofuel sector in various countries is influenced by
the mandates and subsidies provided
• Considerable debate around biofuels on food vs. fuel and its impacts
on food security
– source of current biofuel are edible crops ( first generation
biofuel crops)
• Can have positive effects on food security - provide the new
sources of income / employment, and also provide alternative
sources of energy for rural communities
• Many developing countries (e.g. India) have now developed policies
that specifically targets Biofuels from non-food / multiple use crops
and use of marginal land.

3. Where does this leave us?
o Need for rethinking on Biofuels that addresses current
concerns: a systems based approach rather than crop
based!!
o Position Biofuels for food security and livelihood
improvements beyond solution for transport mix
o Refresh national policies: based on solid science
o Explore alternate models which avoids LUC and have
positive carbon footprints / low carbon payback years
o Develop active linkages with global initiatives
especially from the UN
o Learn from successful examples from across the globe
and adopt
Future: Link Biofuels to Food- Nutrition Security & Environment

4. Why World Agroforestry Centre?
• Being a global centre for excellence in
Agroforestry, ICRAF is uniquely placed to address
the concerns of LUC and Food Security
• Emerging science suggests ‘mixed cropping’
systems better than monoculture in addressing
GHG reduction and carbon pay back time.
• Trees better suited to address adaptation and
mitigation of climate change.
Improve biodiversity, reduce land degradation

5. Development of Alternate Biofuel Crops
Selection of Case Studies
Integrated Food Energy
System (Anne Bodanski,
Olivier Dubois), GBEP –
sustainability indicators
(Maria Michela Morese)
Bottom-up approach, starting with the implementation of some
projects that could help sustainable expansion of biofuels to new
areas, policy advocacy & identifying 5
underlying cause of success.
Environment &
Climate Change
Division (Elwyn
Grainger Jones),
National Programs
Biofuel programme,
Bioenergy, Oilseeds
Biofuels for Livelihoods in the State of Karnataka
Biofuels for Clean Energy in Mozambique:
CleanStarMozambique
Sustainable Biofuels involving small
holder farmers in Brazil : EMBRAPA

6. Biofuels for Livelihoods
Karnataka Biofuels
Non toxic Jatropha
Multi native species
Despite a policy in place – the sector is fragmented, no forward marketing linkages
Remains a ‘push – model’. States like Karnataka and Rajasthan lead with a separate
body to over see the sector. Biofuels come under state oil companies. R&D gaps –
Short rotation, high yield, high survival, assured market

7. Use of multiple feed stocks
Name of the species Flowering Fruiting Yield / Tree
and Oil %
Pongamia pinnata May-June January to
March
30-150 Kg
(27- 42%)
Jatropha curcus March –
September
April- May
October-
November
0.5 – 2Kg
(30-35%)
Madhuca indica March -
April
July- August 30-200 Kg
(28-38%)
Neem (Azadirachta
indica)
March -
April
June July 20-35 Kg
(30 -39%)
Simarouba glauca February April-May 15-30 Kg
(20-25%)
Amoora rohituka September-
January
November- April 30 Kg
(40-46%)
Calophyllum
inophyllum
March - May October-
November
25-50 Kg
(45-70%)
Combination of above to get year round supply of seeds / Biodiversity

8. Community organization and capacity
building, including feedback.
565 Malligevalu
564 Kallahalli
573 Bilagunda
574 Sirajbore Kaval
575 Dundanayakana
halli
576 Ballekere
584 Domahalli
585 Parasanahalli
590 Javanehalli
591 Doranahosalli
284 Kinnarahalli
275 Kabbinahalli
276 Amanidoddakere
285 Machagowdanahalli
639 Kallenahalli
640 Chikkamallenahalli
668 Hanchihalli
669 Halenahalli
670 Danayakanahalli
673 Buntarahalli
Study villages

9. Community organization and capacity
building, including feedback.

10. Mr. Puttaraju, Secretary,
Biofuel Association
Planting of Biofuel grafts Mr. Puttaraju with
mini oil expeller
• Single village planted – 24, 000 biofuel seedlings
• Complete biofuel village – each family have planted
biofuel seedlings
• Established value addition process with oil expeller

11. Research & Development
Early Flowering, Nursery Technologies, Oil expelling Machines and Agroforestry Systems
What is the insentive of farmers to grow biofuel crops in their limited land?

12. 3.0000
2.5000
2.0000
1.5000
1.0000
0.5000
0.0000
Net Energy Balance from various biofuels
Simarouba
biodiesel
Jatropha
biodiesel
Amoora
biodiesel
Calophyllum
biodiesel
Soybean
biodiesel
Corn ethanol
0.0007 0.004 0.0008 0.0004
0.52
0.25
0.44
0.56
0.50
0.40
0.34
0.713
0.56
0.44
0.50
0.60
0.14
0.04
2.26
1.78
1.98
2.50
1.16
1.04
Input Cultivation(MJ)
Input Processing(MJ)
NEB(MJ)
NER
Agroforestry
Net Energy Balance(NEB)=Energy Output-Energy Input; Net Energy Ratio(NER)=Energy output/Energy Input
Both are calculated after excluding co-product energy credits and no allocation has been used
NEB Agroforestry Based Biofuels Two-Fold Higher Than Traditional Biofuels

13. 60
50
40
30
20
10
0
GHG Savings
Net GHG savings (as gram CO2 equivalents) compared to fossil diesel, per MJ of
Energy produced from Various Biofuel
-10
Simarouba
biodiesel
Jatropha
biodiesel
Aphanamixis
biodiesel
Calophyllum
biodiesel
Soybean biodiesel Corn Ethanol
GWP 100 (IPCC 2007)
GWP 20 (IPCC 2007)
GWP (Hill et. al., PNAS
(2006)
Agroforestry
Without factoring LUC

14. Biofuel Species & Gender
Neem seed collection as a livelihood activity in Sarwad village of Bijapur Taluk, Karanataka, India
By Prabhavati (A successful Story)
We a group of women were involved in the process of Neem seed collection. Each one of us was
collecting 4-5 tons of Neem seeds every season. Initially we were getting price only Rs.2-3/ Kg. After
the bio-fuel programme implementation in the state we got all the information about the marketing
and prices. There is a Bio-fuel Lead NGO who gave us information and guided us.
Now we sell seeds to various people & oil mills and we bargain collectively for better rates. In our
villages now we have 50 Women SHG’s. Nearly 150 women are involved in the Neem seed collection
Business. Each member collects 4-5 tons of Neem seeds and gets average Rs.30000/ per year, which is
an additional income to the family apart from agricultural income. It has helped us to improve the
standard of living and quality of life in our village.

15. Using bio fuel to run an irrigation pump for
five acres
• Tamil Nadu faces a big problem in cultivation due to frequent load shedding,
• a farmer, Mr. Mr. C. Rajasekaran, from Vettaikaran Irruppu of Kilvelur taluk in
Nagappattinam district is using oil from Punnai (Tamil name) tree seeds (Calophyllum
inophyllum) to operate his five hp motor pump for irrigating his five acres.
• His garden, which was once considered to be unfit for any cultivation, since the soil
became barren after the tsunami struck, is now home to nearly 35 different tree varieties.
Mango, Guavas, Lime, Teak, Cashew, amla, tamarind, and jack are all flourishing well
today in what was once considered a wasteland.

16. Mr. Ramesh with his tractor running on
Pongamia oil
Mr. Ramesh is using pongamia oil as fuel for his tractor from past 8
years
No modification in the engine
20 % blend
Increased mileage (5-7 %), saves up to Rs. 25,000/ per annum
No defects and repair works of engine since from the use of oil

17. Challenges & Way Forward
Performance
• Evaluate impacts on livelihoods, energy contribution and provision of ecosystem
services at local, district and state levels
• Assess relative performance of species selected and mixtures of species
• Assess productivity of the agroforestry system with comparison to non-biofuel systems
Potential
- Focus on scaling up the existing models within the State & India
- Explore landscape level benefits in terms of restoration of ecosystem and
economic services
- Identify policy levers to facilitate the system
- Identify the elements of the biofuel value chain and ‘sweet spots’ for improvement
Promise
- Explore possibilities for PPP
- Explore opportunities to adapt model to different regions and ecosystems
with similarly adapted suites of species
- Develop ‘bankable’ investment models that capture the essence of the model –
flexibility, diversity, resilience and fulfillment of local and distant needs –
without over simplification