India's Wasteland and Its Potential

India's more than half of the geographical area (329 million hectares) is officially estimated to be in various stages of degradation, and 50 million hectares of this are not being put to any productive use. Although wasted, these lands have the potential for development. Considering the different qualities of wastelands, part of these can be reclaimed for good agriculture, and others can be used for growing fuelwood on a substantial scale.

Fuelwood Plantation and Its Benefits

The raising of fuelwood on these lands would ease the severe fuelwood shortages, which are expected to be one-third of the requirement by the beginning of the next century. Extension of the fuelwood plantation programme on degraded wastelands requires huge sums of financial resources—both for land development and the planting process. The financial implications include nursery development, establishment, and annual maintenance required during the plantation period until the trees are ready for their end uses.

Economic Considerations

The initial expenditure on fuelwood plantations on wastelands is higher, and the economic returns are low. However, considering that these lands are of low value with poor productivity, the soil and other extra market benefits through afforestating these lands are considerable. To achieve the best results, an integrated approach for a coordinated and realistic programme is needed for the development of ecosystems on these lands.

Cost Analysis and Species Selection

An empirical approach has been adopted in this book to calculate the cost of raising the fourteen most promising fuelwood species in wasteland areas. The cost-benefit ratios have been worked out for these species under different climatic regions of India.

Future Strategies

Finally, emphasis has been given to some alternative suggestions to address the problems of fuelwood scarcity and to promote the raising of plantations on wasteland tracts across the country.