Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico
<i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> (cactus pear) emerged as a promising crop for sustainable bioenergy production on marginal agricultural land, mitigating competition with food crops and lowering the risk of other indirect land use changes. In this study, the bioenergy potential is investigate...
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2024-12-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/24/6278 |
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| author | Paola Varela Pérez Bastian Winkler Philip Röcker Moritz von Cossel |
| author_facet | Paola Varela Pérez Bastian Winkler Philip Röcker Moritz von Cossel |
| author_sort | Paola Varela Pérez |
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| description | <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> (cactus pear) emerged as a promising crop for sustainable bioenergy production on marginal agricultural land, mitigating competition with food crops and lowering the risk of other indirect land use changes. In this study, the bioenergy potential is investigated of cactus pear residues within a smallholder farming context of Nopaltepec, a rural municipality in Central Mexico. Nopaltepec is a native environment of cactus pear and shows an annual production volume of 30 Gg of fresh matter. A bottom-up approach employing semi-structured interviews (<i>n</i> = 16) was utilized to assess the feasibility of transforming the pruning residues of cactus pear into a viable bioenergy source. The results indicate a substantial bioenergy potential, with 27 Mg of fresh matter biomass (equivalent to 9720 m<sup>3</sup> biogas) per hectare obtainable annually without compromising fruit yields. Moreover, the digestate produced through anaerobic digestion can be recycled as biofertilizer, offering economic and ecological advantages to smallholders. Notably, farmers expressed keen interest in integrating this technology into their agricultural systems. This research underscores the potential of cactus pear residues for developing a decentralized bioenergy sector and provides valuable ideas for future bottom-up assessments in rural communities like Nopaltepec. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b932101e98a941acab8eb3fe894d6598 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj-art-b932101e98a941acab8eb3fe894d65982024-12-27T14:23:20ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732024-12-011724627810.3390/en17246278Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Grown on Marginal Land in Rural MexicoPaola Varela Pérez0Bastian Winkler1Philip Röcker2Moritz von Cossel3Biobased Resources in the Bioeconomy (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, GermanyBiobased Resources in the Bioeconomy (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, GermanyBiobased Resources in the Bioeconomy (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, GermanyBiobased Resources in the Bioeconomy (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany<i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> (cactus pear) emerged as a promising crop for sustainable bioenergy production on marginal agricultural land, mitigating competition with food crops and lowering the risk of other indirect land use changes. In this study, the bioenergy potential is investigated of cactus pear residues within a smallholder farming context of Nopaltepec, a rural municipality in Central Mexico. Nopaltepec is a native environment of cactus pear and shows an annual production volume of 30 Gg of fresh matter. A bottom-up approach employing semi-structured interviews (<i>n</i> = 16) was utilized to assess the feasibility of transforming the pruning residues of cactus pear into a viable bioenergy source. The results indicate a substantial bioenergy potential, with 27 Mg of fresh matter biomass (equivalent to 9720 m<sup>3</sup> biogas) per hectare obtainable annually without compromising fruit yields. Moreover, the digestate produced through anaerobic digestion can be recycled as biofertilizer, offering economic and ecological advantages to smallholders. Notably, farmers expressed keen interest in integrating this technology into their agricultural systems. This research underscores the potential of cactus pear residues for developing a decentralized bioenergy sector and provides valuable ideas for future bottom-up assessments in rural communities like Nopaltepec.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/24/6278anaerobic digestionbiogasbiomassbottom-up approachdroughtmarginal land |
| spellingShingle | Paola Varela Pérez Bastian Winkler Philip Röcker Moritz von Cossel Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico Energies anaerobic digestion biogas biomass bottom-up approach drought marginal land |
| title | Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico |
| title_full | Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico |
| title_short | Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico |
| title_sort | combined bioenergy and food potential of i opuntia ficus indica i grown on marginal land in rural mexico |
| topic | anaerobic digestion biogas biomass bottom-up approach drought marginal land |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/24/6278 |
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