Potential for rainfed woody biomass production for energy conversion in drought and salinity affected areas of northern India

This paper presents production of woody biomass using waste or saline water for irrigation and rain fed biomass production on land with low food crop potential. Woody biomass can be harvested sustainably from indigenous or naturalised vegetation,existing stands can be improved or tree plantations can be established, matching appropriate species to prevailing conditions.Rain fed productivity of woody species in dry areas is limited by soil salinity and water availability and assumptions on biomass productivity and land areas required for energy conversion should be based on yield estimates realistic for local soil and climate,which can be very low. Development of woody biomass production in rural communities needs to be cost effective, have good institutional support and governance, and comprise appropriate technologies and approaches. Woody biomass production potentially raises the issue of competition over land resources with other users and uses of wasteland. Some woody biomasss pecies may also have adverse impacts on biodiversity.