Biofuels and wastelands: energy policy, land markets and social inequality in South India

Objective: “The Indian approach to biofuels . . . is somewhat different to the current international approaches which could lead to conflict with food security. It is based solely on non-food feedstocks to be raised on degraded or wastelandsthat are not suited to agriculture, thus avoiding a possible conflict of fuel vs. food security.” (MNRE, 2009, pg. 3-4). Implementation: “Plantations of trees bearing non-edible oilseeds will be taken up on Government/community wasteland, degraded or fallow land in forest and non-forest areas. Contract farming on private wastelandcould also be taken up through the Minimum Support Price mechanism proposed in the Policy. Plantations on agricultural lands will be discouraged.” (MNRE, 2009, pg. 7).