What does it mean to be pro-poor in the context of developing jatropha? A term constantly bandied around, it is fast becoming the catch cry of the sector which is implementing planting projects in some of the poorest regions in the world.
This question was explored by Dr. Suhas P Wani, Principal Scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) during the JatrophaWorld Hamburg summit last year in October.
Dr. Wani’s clear-cut analysis of concepts like “pro-poor” and “smart biofuels” gave him an excellent rating from participants at JatrophaWorld Hamburg 2008.
Dr. Wani proposed an “Integrated Genetics Natural Resources Approach”— a holistic livelihood approach where he called on Jatropha project developers to do develop a program that “embraces sustainable agriculture, knowledge sharing with out growers, and addressing issues of social inclusion, equity and gender at the grassroots.”
In his presentation, Dr. Wani complimented Jatropha as a ‘smart biofuel crop’ which had the ability to rehabilitate degraded land, but called on project developers ensure that Jatropha projects do not threaten food security on the ground.
He also touched on other key issues including:
- Suitable agronomic practices
- Development of improved cultivars
- Water requirement
- Institutional arrangements for increased productivity
Find out more about how you can pay it forward with your Jatropha project with sustainable agricultural practices, and by involving local communities.
We’re giving free access to the recording of Dr. Wani’s insightful presentation below. Do let us know your feedback by leaving a comment below.
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#1. JatrophaWorld Asia 2009 » Blog Archive » ICRISAT’s Call to …, January 29th, 2009
[...] post: JatrophaWorld Asia 2009 » Blog Archive » ICRISAT’s Call to … Tags: effectively-utilizing, insights-on-effectively, jatropha, plantations, poverty, principal, [...]
#2. Hari Behl, January 30th, 2009
Good presentation for development of a small community for awareness and social empowerment but does not make a commerce as was claimed in between the talk.
1. The PPP did not have all the Ps with 95 % of Government institutes and franchised NGOs
2. many statements are about policy, past indian experience, effect of VAM, intercropping of jatropha and Pongamia, Jatropha performing poor on good quality land and others seemed unqualified. Every statement made on international forum should be qualified or verifiable.
It was more of what ICRISAT plans to do and not a case study or a model.
I would rate it as very generic and not scientific. Sorry for harsh comments since I know Dr Wani but could not help since I spent my half hr listening to that!
HMB
#3. Awodun, Moses Adeyeye, January 30th, 2009
The audio quality was not good enough maybe it was my system . I was not able to get good grasp of the message. The video was not loaded at a time, it affected the video and the audio quality of the message. I will appreciate it if you can resend the message to me.
Thanks.
#4. Mario S. Macainan, January 30th, 2009
We would appreciate if you can make the video downloadable instead of video streaming so that we have a copy of the video, the download option should have been “enabled”.
#5. Adekola Oke, February 4th, 2009
A good presentation, but I am of the opinion that there should be a way to have a copy for keep, it could be for sale.