Sustainable bioenergy from agroforestry: A clean pathway to India's green transition

The global transition to sustainable energy systems emphasizes bioenergy as a crucial renewable resource for mitigating climate change and enhancing energy security. India faces the dual challenge of reducing its reliance on fossil fuels while addressing environmental degradation amid rising energy demands due to increasing urbanization and economic growth. Agroforestry emerges as a strategic alternative, integrating biomass production with farming practices to promote bioenergy development while developing ecological and social benefits. India's bioenergy potential can be realized through agroforestry systems that utilize a range of feedstocks, including woody biomass, agricultural residues and organic waste, to generate heat, electricity and biofuels. Notably, global energy-related CO2 emissions reached 36.3 Gt in 2021, marking a rise of 6 %. Agroforestry systems improve soil fertility, increase carbon sequestration and improve rural livelihoods through multiple sources of income. Conversion technologies such as gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion, convert these feedstocks into energy. However, limitations remain in terms of cost efficiency, technological adaptability and minimizing land-use conflicts. Scalability on the other hand, requires balancing biomass consumption with food security, particularly on fertile soils, while also promoting bioenergy trees and crops in marginal or degraded regions. It has been estimated that almost 32 % of the total primary energy utilized in the country is generated from biomass. Strategic investments in decentralized bioenergy infrastructure, combined with research on species optimization and biorefinery models, have the potential to accelerate India's transition to renewable energy sources. Biomass-based projects contribute less than 3 % of the power generation in India, while major sources include fossil fuels along with solar, hydro and wind energy. By combining agroforestry and bioenergy objectives, India could achieve its climate obligations, promote rural development and construct a sustainable energy framework that is resilient to global ecological and economic shifts.