Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of Opuntia ficus-indica Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico

Paola Varela Pérez, Bastian Winkler, Philip Röcker and Moritz von Cossel ()
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Paola Varela Pérez: Biobased Resources in the Bioeconomy (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Bastian Winkler: Biobased Resources in the Bioeconomy (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Philip Röcker: Biobased Resources in the Bioeconomy (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Moritz von Cossel: Biobased Resources in the Bioeconomy (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 24, 1-38

Abstract: Opuntia ficus-indica (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 ( n = 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 3 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.

Keywords: anaerobic digestion; biogas; biomass; bottom-up approach; drought; marginal land; nopales; renewable energy; rural development; smallholder farmers; unused land (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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