The social and environmental impacts of biofuel cultivation

Investigator: 
Jennifer Baka
Advisor: 
Robert Bailis
Start Date: 
March, 2011
Description: 

I am assessing the land use change incurred by cultivating biofuel crops on marginal lands in Tamil Nadu, India.  Existing biomass, principally the tree Prosopis juliflora, would have to be removed from the land in order to establish the biofuels industry.  However, Prosopis biomass currently supports a host of rural energy and industrial activities.

I want to evaluate the extent of Prosopis cover in my field site area. The remote sensing analysis will complement surveys conducted with Prosopis users in the field site from December 2010 through February 2011.