Renewable resources in Southern Indian Village Surroundings
Click on the illustration to see enlarged photo.
The illustration here shows a portion of village surroundings in a Southern Indian region. The foreground shows grazing cattle, in open rice fields, where the “cropping” is just completed (also seen on the right hand side foreground are some quantities of hay). The background depicts the profuse growth of Green vegetation (most prominent being coconut trees, although others such as Banana, Mango, Tamarind, Drum-stick and various cultivated vegetables … are also involved). The dense green cover obliterates the housing and other buildings in the village.
Analyses of the photo illustration above shows three “agro-biogenic” systems in a typical Indian village/ farmland area (southern India):
The hill/ mountainous terrain ecosystem in the back ground
The profuse vegetation system (with coconut trees and other plants/ vegetation systems)
The agricultural fields with the grazing cattle in the foreground
It is also observed that, though we do not see the hamlets and other buildings of the village in which the local people live, an average such village in India would have about 300 to 400 families, with a total population in the range of 2, 000 to 3, 000 people. The average Per Capita Village Purchasing Power (PVPP) in such villages would be about $150 to $200 … resulting in annual total village income of $400, 000 – an extremely low economic level. Further, it would be noted that the village people would have to depend on far away town based schools, colleges, hospitals, and other basic needs. The transportation infrastructure, electricity supply, water supply and sanitation/ drainage facilities would be pathetic, to put it mildly. However, there is also a “hidden” economic output value, in terms of the availability (for consumption) of certain main food materials (cereals, vegetables, poultry, milk and meat), which could be valued at about the same level as the income, as aforementioned. Thus, the total “worth” of the village would be about US $800, 000 (GROSS RURAL PRODUCT—GRP).
The questions are:
1. How do we improve the living standard of people in such a village?
2. What are the available resources, which could be useful for value addition?
3. What about energy needs for cooking, electricity and other home/ agriculture needs?
4. How do we gain business income by investing in such “dilapidated” villages?
Various Vegetation Systems for GREEN Development
We now need to “go back to nature”, facilitating the creation of high value energy and product systems, using all available renewable resources in the village region and support the setting up of industrial ventures (using all of these), which would pave the way for answering all of the above questions. This could be made possible through the New Business paradigm, practically implemented through Sustainability Engineered Projects (SEP). An average village is estimated to be encircled by a total farmland area and surrounding non farm vegetation region of about 250 ha. About four such village cluster could be considered as the effective “renewable resource region” for a Standard SEP unit.
AN idea of SEP in farmland/ Village areas
The illustration here schematically presents Zero-Waste Zero-Carbon Business-Model, utilizing all available Renewable Resources within an ecological system in village surroundings. The different inter-related and inter connected commercial operations utilizing all available Renewable Resources (RR) would be named: AGRO-POLYMER INDUSTRY COMPLEX (APIX). Although there are various processes that could be carried out simultaneously, each Project in each region could vary, depending on various local factors. Every such project system would be named: APIX-SEP (acronym for AGRO-POLYMER INDUSTRY COMPLEX-SUSTAINABILITY ENGINEERED PROJECTS). As explained earlier, FOUR villages cluster (in India) would make up about 1000 ha farmlands and surroundings. Every such cluster would have RR, which could be converted into different product systems and energy. Each such unit in 1000 ha cluster would be named: APIX_1000. The following may be noted in a typical southern Indian APIX_1000:
a. Human resources in the form of labor ………………….. 1, 500 to 2, 000
b. Animal resources in the form of cattle ………………….. 300 to 500
c. Crops and other “cash value” agro-produce .…………. 5, 000 tons
d. Agrowastes and vegetation resources ………………….. 30, 000 tons (green)
e. Rainwater harvested (in 100, 000 sq m @ 1000 mm) = 100, 000 cu.m
These renewable resources could be converted to generate the following value added products/ services:
a. Milk without processing ………… 2000 L/ day ……… value $600/ day
b. Animal wastes … 600 Kg/ day, used for Methane gas generation, along with agrowastes and other unused vegetation matter
c. Agro-produce (Processed Foods) …… 4, 500 T … value = $6, 750, 000
d. Cellulosic vegetation converted engineered products (9, 000 T) … value = $9, 000, 000
e. Bio-Fertilizers 30, 000 Tons (@ 3% solids) … valued …. $6, 000, 000
f. Heat & Electricity Combined Power potential ……… 1500 KWe (equivalent)
g. Carbon Sink Engineered Products (CSE… these are Building Construction products, made by reacting CO2 with specific “calcareous” materials) ……… 190, 000 T ………….. valued $57 Million
h. Number of people with “full time (300 days/ yr) earning” jobs … 2, 000
In general, it is noted that each such APIX_1000 unit (as above) in relatively lower rainfall areas (@ 1000 mm to 1200 mm, which are spread across large areas in various parts of India) would be centers of WEALTH Creation to an extent of $30 million to $50 million, achieved through SEP programs …
It is estimated that, if the entire 635, 000 villages in India are sectored into such APIX_1000 units, India would have not less than 150, 000 APIX-SEP units, capable of generating VILLAGE LEVEL WEALTH of not less than US $7.5 Trillion! Even if only 30% of these could be practically achieved, the total Village level Wealth creation (paralleling normal economic activities) would be a staggering value of over US $2 trillion!
It is felt that, if we Pilot such schemes in India, to be followed up worldwide, every tropical nation (including small Islands) could be converted into GREEN products Wealth Creation centers, changing the world economic order.
The question is: How do we Start? What incentive would an entrepreneur have, to set up such APIX_1000 units in different regions? Will the Governments in every such nation wake up?
We shall soon study and observe how we may start “piloting” such Sustainable Green Developments – to be initially begun in India.
04/08/2009 at 9:23 am
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