21 January 2015: The World Agroforestry Centre’s Programme for the Development of Alternative Biofuel Crops has organized a workshop aimed at enhancing small-scale biofuel production in rural India. During the workshop on ‘Sustainable Rural Biofuel Energy Options: A Dialogue with Farmers,’ the Programme held capacity building sessions with community members and introduced domestically-manufactured machines for processing oilseeds into biofuels in 20 villages in the Hassan District of India’s state of Karnataka.

During the workshop, participants emphasized, inter alia, the importance of growing oilseed trees to meet the local energy needs of the rural poor; and benefits of the trees, such as soil protection and restoration, and improved water percolation. The Programme for the Development of Alternative Biofuel Crops, launched in 2013, is being implemented by the World Agroforestry Centre and partners in South Asia, Latin America and Africa with funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). [World Agroforestry Centre News Story] [Programme for the Development of Alternative Biofuel Crops Website]