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Jatropha plantations for biodiesel in Tamil Nadu, India: Viability, livelihood trade-offs, and latent conflict
No full textResearchers, policy makers and civil society organizations have been discussing the potential of biofuels as
partial substitutes for fossil fuels and thereby as a simultaneous solution for climate change and rural
poverty. Research has highlighted the ambiguity of these claims across various dimensions and scales,
focusing on ethanol-producing or oilseed crops in agricultural lands or Jatropha-type crops on common
lands. We studied the agronomic and economic viability and livelihood impacts of Jatropha curcas
plantations on private farms in Tamil Nadu, India. We found that Jatropha yields are much lower than
expected and its cultivation is currently unviable, and even its potential viability is strongly determined by
water access. On the whole, the crop impoverishes farmers, particularly the poorer and socially backward
farmers. Jatropha cultivation therefore not only fails to alleviate poverty, but its aggressive and misguided
promotion will generate conflict between the state and the farmers, between different socio-economic
classes and even within households. The water demands of the crop can potentially exacerbate the conflicts
and competition over water access in Tamil Nadu villages
Development of eleven microsatellite markers in the red-listed tree species Myristica malabarica
No full textThe Myristicaceae family is a primitive
angiosperm family and is characterized by species that are
highly endemic to the Western Ghats area of India.
Myristica malabarica is confined to the evergreen forests
of Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. In this paper we describe
for the first time the development of eleven polymorhpic
microsatellite markers for Myristica malabarica, which
had 2–14 alleles per locus. These microsatellite markers
could be used to study the population genetic structure of
the species
The political ecology of Jatropha plantations for biodiesel in TamilNadu, India
No full textJatropha curcas is promoted internationally for its presumed agronomic viability
in marginal lands, economic returns for small farmers, and lack of competition
with food crops. However, empirical results from a study in southern India
revealed that Jatropha cultivation, even on agricultural lands, is neither
profitable, nor pro-poor. We use a political ecology framework to analyse both
the discourse promoting Jatropha cultivation and its empirical consequences. We
deconstruct the shaky premises of the dominant discourse of Jatropha as a ‘propoor’
and ‘pro-wasteland’ development crop, a discourse that paints a win-win
picture between poverty alleviation, natural resource regeneration, and energy
security goals. We then draw from fieldwork on Jatropha plantations in the state
of Tamil Nadu to show how Jatropha cultivation favours resource-rich farmers,
while possibly reinforcing existing processes of marginalisation of small and
marginal farmers
Resilient and Resourceful? A Case Study on How the Poor Cope in Kerala, India
No full textIn the backdrop of the popularization of social capital, it has become fashionable
in development circles to highlight the resilience of the poor in the midst of
stresses and shocks as well as their resourcefulness. Expressing scepticism,
this article argues that social capital is a ‘conditional’ resource for the poor,
availability of which is dependent on the presence of a ‘critical mass’ of
other resources. The State plays a pivotal role in creating this ‘critical mass’.
Household level case studies from a village in Kerala, India, on how the poor
cope with vulnerable situations, are used to illustrate this point
Dysoxylum binectariferum Hook.f (Meliaceae), a rich source of rohitukine
No full textRohitukine, a chromane alkaloid, is a precursor of flavopiridol, a promising anti-cancer compound.
Currently in Phase III clinical trials, flavopiridol is a potent inhibitor of several cyclin-dependent
kinases (CDKs). Rohitukinewas first reported fromAmoora rohituka (0.083% dryweight) followed
by that in Dysoxylum binectariferum (0.9% dry weight), both belonging to the family Meliaceae.
Here, we report incredibly high yields of rohitukine (7% dry weight) in trees of D. binectariferum
from theWestern Ghats, India. Crude extracts of the treewere found to be highly effective against
ovarian and breast cancer lines tested
Endophytic fungal strains of Fusarium solani, from Apodytes dimidiata E. Mey. ex Arn (Icacinaceae) produce camptothecin, 10-hydroxycamptothecin and 9-methoxycamptothecin
No full textCamptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin are two important precursors for the synthesis of the clinically
useful anticancer drugs, topotecan and irinotecan. In recent years, efforts have been made to identify
novel plant and endophytic fungal sources of camptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin. In this study
we have isolated endophytic fungi strains from Apodytes dimidiata (Icacinaceae), a medium sized tree
from the Western Ghats, India. The fungi were identified as Fusarium solani using both ITS rDNA sequencing
and spore morphology. Two strains, MTCC 9667 and MTCC 9668 were isolated, both of which produced
camptothecin and 9-methoxycamptothecin in their mycelia; one of the strains, MTCC 9668 also
produced 10-hydroxycamptothecin, though in small amounts. The yields of camptothecin in MTCC
9667 and MTCC 9668 were 37 and 53 lg/100 g, respectively, after 4 days of incubation in broth culture.
The yields of 10-hydroxycamptothecin and 9-methoxycamptothecin in MTCC 9668 were 8.2 and 44.9 lg/
100 g, respectively. Further research in optimizing the culture conditions of these fungal strains might
permit their application for the production of camptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin
Influence of levels of genetic diversity on fruit quality in teak (Tectona grandis L.f.)
Get PDFThe study on the influence of genetic diversity on the
fruit emptiness and seed germination (as a measure of
fruit quality) of teak populations was carried out. The
populations comprised three unimproved plantations, three seed-production areas and a clonal seed orchard within Karnataka. Significant variation between the populations was observed for fruit emptiness, seed germination and Jaccard’s dissimilarity index of the parent population. Genetic dissimilarity of populations was positively correlated to fruit emptiness and negatively correlated to seed germination. It is inferred that higher genetic dissimilarity of individuals within the population results in higher flower asynchrony and close-related mating, thereby leading to higher inbreeding depression manifested in the form of higher emptiness and low germination percentage
Local institutions as mediators of the impact of markets on non-timber forest product extraction in central India
No full textNon-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction contributes significantly to household incomes across India. This study aimed to understand the relationship between market proximity, NTFP dependence and forest condition, and assess how it is mediated by local forest institutions. Three villages with different degrees of access to markets for sale of forest products, in an area of high poverty and forest dependence in the dry tropical forest belt in central India, were examined. The village with the greatest access to the market had a greater proportion of income coming from non-forest sources, the least dependence on NTFP harvest and the most degraded forests. The strongest forest institution was found in the village closest to the market, owing largely to its access to support from the Forest Department. This emphasizes the extreme vulnerability of forest villages located distant from local markets, which are forced to depend on forests for most of their livelihood and income requirements, and left to deal with degrading forests in the absence of technical and financial support from the Forest Department. There is a critical need to strengthen local institutions for sustainable forest management in such villages, and to provide them with alternate sources of income generatio
Multidimensional Poverty and Identification of Poor Households: A Case from Kerala, India
No full textIn this paper we compare and contrast the view on poverty of lay people, who are affected by the policies, with that of academics and policymakers. Drawing from fieldwork in a village in Kerala, India, and applying the
‘participatory numbers’ approach, we devise a ‘local method’ to identify poor households, based on the villagers’ poverty criteria. The local method is then compared with the official methods used by the national and the state governments. Based on the results, we argue for the need to take into account local dimensions of poverty, in addition to objective/universal dimensions, in the design of poverty reduction programmes. Our findings also suggest that effective risk-mitigation strategies must be devised to help poor households cope with shocks and stresses as well as to prevent the vulnerable non-poor from falling into poverty
Analyzing deforestation rates, spatial forest cover changes and identifying critical areas of forest cover changes in North-East India during 1972–1999
No full textDeforestation is recognized as one of the most significant component in LULC and global changes scenario. It is imperative to assess its trend and the rates at which it is occurring. The changes will have long-lasting impact on regional climate and in turn on biodiversity. In North-East India, one of the recognized global biodiversity hotspots, approximately 30% of total forest cover is under pressure of rapid land use changes. This region harbors variety of rare and endemic species
of flora and fauna. It also has a strong bearing on regional climatic conditions. Extensive shifting cultivation, compounded by increasing population
pressure and demands for agriculture land are the prime drivers in addition to other proximate drivers of deforestation. It is therefore of prime concern to analyse forest cover changes in the region, assess rate of change and extent and to identify the areas, which show repetitive changes. We analyzed forest cover maps from six temporal datasets based on satellite data interpretation, converted to geospatial database since
1972 till 1999. The states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura show highest changes in forestcover. Arunachal Pradesh shows least dynamic areas and maintains a good forest cover owing to its topographical inaccessibility in some areas. The present study reports the forest cover changes in the region using geospatial analysis and analyse them to devise proper management strategies