Why bioenergy for rural development and poverty alleviation?.

Most of the worlds poor dwell in rural communities in developing countries, with limited or no access to modern energy services (IEA 2011 !ier"aum and #ay, 2010 $%E&' 200()* +his lac, of access to modern energy services not only affects economic productivity "ut is also a stum"ling "loc, to the ade-uate provision of other essential "asic services such as health care and education* .tili/ation of 0traditional "iomass for coo,ing and heating is already prevalent in most rural communities in developing countries (A$E11, 2010)* 2ecent empirical study evidence indicates that access to modern energy in impoverishedcommunities helps provide the "asis for alleviating povertyand producing rural development (1asillas and 3ammen,2010)*+he International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 2*4 "illion people worldwide are without access to clean coo,ingfacilities, 567 of whom are found in rural communitiesand are presumed to depend on traditional "iomass to meet their daily coo,ing needs (IEA 2011)* Even with pro8ected economic growth and technological progress and a considera"le increase in investments in modern energy services "y 2090, the IEA pro8ects that 2*4 "illion people will still lac, access to clean coo,ing facilities unless significant new policies are put in place now to reverse the forecast trend (IEA 2011)* Increased population growth is li,ely to cancel out the considera"le gains in technological ,nowhow,investments and economic development "y 2090 unless significant investments, "irth: control measures and overall am"itious new policies are put in place, especially in energy:poor communities* +he over dependence on wood fuel to meet coo,ing and heating needs is a primary driver for deforestation in impoverished communities* ;omen and children spend significant amounts of time collecting the "iomass for coo,ing and heating* +he efforts spent in collecting firewood have significant negative implications on the lives of the collectors, especially the educational prospects of children* Inefficient coo,ing, lighting and heating devices emit significant amount of polluting smo,e, which ,ills nearly 1*( million women and young children prematurely every year and causes a range of chronic illnesses and other health pro"lems* +his is a result of the ha/ardous compounds and particulate matter that are released from "urning firewood +he IEA, using ;<= estimates, predicts over 1*> million premature deaths per year "y 2090 (the e-uivalent of 6000 deaths a day) due to the use of "iomass in inefficient stoves (IEA, 2010)* +hus, the "enefits of using "ioenergy to provide clean and efficient energy services to rural communities cannot "e over:emphasi/ed* <owever, there are growing concerns regarding the environmental sustaina"ility issues of "ioenergy e?pansion, food security and diversion of land from agriculture, forestry or other uses to the growing of "ioenergy crops* +hese concerns nevertheless provide an opportunity for "ioenergy to "e done correctly* 'iverse "iomass feedstoc, types are utili/ed in different "ioconversion technological processes* +he heterogeneity of these feedstoc, types, namely manure, food crops, agricultural residues, forests and sawmills waste, re-uires different "ioenergy conversion platforms in addition to their respective uni-ue value chains (Ac,om, 2010)* +echnological platforms could range from "iological (anero"ic fermentation, e*g* "iogas), "iochemical ("oth first: and second:generation "iofuels) and thermochemical (e*g* pyrolysis and gasification ) to direct com"ustion in com"ined heat and power systems* +he various "ioconversion technological platforms are at different levels of maturity, ranging from matured technologies as seen in anaero"ic fermentation ("iogas) corn ethanol sugarcane ethanol as well as direct com"ustion for heat and power applications to those at the 2@' level, including cellulosic ethanol from agriculture and forestry residues (also ,nown as second:generation "iofuel)*'one correctly, "ioenergy can contri"ute to providing clean energy access in rural communities, thus helping to create new economic opportunities, generate more revenue and "ring a"out rural development* !ioenergy offers new investments into the agricultural sector with the potential to provide mar,et and employment opportunities for an estimated 2*> "illion people worldwide who depend on agriculture, including A00 million rural poor(#A=, 200A)* ;here the "ioresource e?ists, a comprehensive strategy that targets the use of "ioenergy in rural development and poverty

alleviation which also safeguards ecosystem integrity and complements other e?isting development plansB activities should "e recommended* +he growing concern regarding the lac, of energy access has resulted in the .nited %ations dedicating 2012 as the 0International Cear of &ustaina"le Energy for All* !ioenergy has a significant role in helping achieve glo"al energy access, as recently highlighted in an IEA (2011) report* Success stories of bioenergy and its role in rural development and poverty alleviation Case study 1: Socio-economic benefits of biomass-powered irrigation in a rural community, angalore, !ndia In this e?ample, a "iomass:"ased gasifier power plant provides electricity to +um,ur 'istricts 3oratagere cluster (nearly 100 ,m from !angalore)* Drior to setting up "iomass gasifiers, a farmer could only grow one crop on a piece of land due to lac, of irrigation facilities* <owever, since esta"lishing the "iomass gasifier, farmers have "een a"le to grow at least three crops in a year due to irrigation powered "y "ioenergy* #armers no longer have to rely on direct precipitation (which is unrelia"le) for their crops*+he additional "enefit of "ioenergy to the community is the improved -uality of life that the regular availa"ility of electricity for lighting and related services "rings (e*g* provision of clean water)* +his pro8ect was supported "y .%'D, and there are plans to replicate this model in other villages* Case study ": ioenergy for rural development in Sunderbans, !ndia #n $osaba !sland in the %elta &egion of Sunderbans, West !engal &tate, 2 million out of 9 million inha"itants did not have access to electricity prior to the setting up of a >00 ,; (> ? 100 ,;) "iomass gasifier duel:fuel powergeneration system (407 "iomass E 907 diesel) in Fune, 1AA4* =nly si?teen customers were su"scri"ers to "egin with, "ut once the "enefits of electrification "egan to "e reali/ed, the customer "ase increased to a"out 11>0 households* +he plant operates 1> hours a day (10G00 am to 1G00 am ne?t day) and charges a"out 2s >*(B3wh from domestic consumers* +he cost of the fuel is a"out 2s* 9> (H0*45) B 60 ,g half dry wood2 (one container), and fuel efficiency is a"out A0 cc diesel E 5>0:A00 g of wood B ,;h* !y introducing a "iomass gasifier, the region has witnessed overall social and economic development* +he electrification of the community (using 407 "iomass) resulted in the esta"lishment of commercial shops and hotels, which attract people from the near"y village for shopping* +his also cataly/ed other economic activities and institutions such as "an,s, improvements in telecommunication systems and internet facilities* Additionally, the electricity is "eing used to supply drin,ing water and irrigation, as well as other purposes such as street: and school:lighting* 'he pro(ect provides direct employment to "" labourers in the operation and maintenance activities* Case study ): iopower and (ob creation in *ysore, !ndia +wo companies namely Dlant Dvt Itd* and &outh Dole Itd*, wor,ed in cooperation with the &wiss: "ased My1limate #oundation to develop and e?ecute the Malavalli Dower Dlant Dro8ect in Mysore, India* +he Malavalli Dower Dlant consists of a 6*> M; (gross) capacity grid connected "iomass "ased power plant with high:pressure steam tur"ine configuration* =ver a 4:year period the plant generates a"out 1A9 $;h "y using low density crop residues (407) and other "iomass fuels found in the local area* Agricultural residues used include sugar cane trash, coconut fronds, corn co"s, and toppings of plantation wood* +he pro8ect has contri"uted well to the rural entrepreneurial development* +bout ,-. new (obs have been created in the crop residues supply chain and about ".. (obs at the iomass /ower /lant and #rganic 0ertili1er #2* have been created for local residents. 'he pro(ect3 contributes appro4imately &s. ,- million 5appro4imately 1 million 6S%7 to the rural economy through the biomass supply chain.

Case study ,: iogas, !ndia A group of villages, Dichhaura, 'udapar, 2anipar and Asthuala !loc, $agha in India, were faced with several pro"lems such as profound poverty, deplora"le health conditions, ecological degradation and waste management pro"lems* Agriculture was the main occupation of the people, predominantly the cultivation of fruit trees* <owever, people had to cut down the fruit trees to meet their fuelwood demands for coo,ing and heating* A nongovernmental organi/ation, &arvangeen Ji,as &amiti, initiated a pro8ect called the 0Dromotion of &ustaina"le Agricultural Activities through 'emonstration of !io:gas Dlants and =ther Allied Activities in 2002 with the support of .%'D: &$DB$E# through the 1entre for Environment* +his pro8ect resulted in several socio:economic improvements* !ro,en down to the level of the single person, this means that a woman now saves three to four hours a day because she is using biogas as opposed to collecting fuelwood for coo8ing. /rior to using biogas, the bill for fuelwood was &s )9.. to ,:.. per annum, 5about :.-11. 6S%7; by using biogas, she now saves almost the entire amount. All these success stories suggest that "ioenergy has the potential to "e effectively utili/ed to "ring improvements to rural development and to alleviate poverty in communities* $iven similar socio: economic conditions, these success stories could "e replicated in areas with similar resources and conditions* /olicy recommendations 1* &ustaina"ility concerns must "e ta,en into consideration when developing policies and programmes for "ioenergy, in particular, long:term support (investor securityBvisi"ility)* +he effective implementation of such policies re-uires appropriate processes and institutions to "e put into place, as well as regular monitoring and verification* 2* &etting:up supporting regulatory framewor,s to ensure sustaina"le production and use of "ioenergy at the environmental, economic and social levels* 9* Implementing sustaina"ility approaches that should primarily target the in:country production, processing and uses of "ioenergy and ensure the improvement of local populations livelihoods and energy and food security 6* An assessment of the -uantity, geographical distri"ution and accessi"ility to "iomass, as well as any potential competition with other industries for the resource need to "e evaluated "efore commencing any "ioenergy initiatives* >* $overnment should increase their investments in research and development (2@') of "ioconversion activities and provide support to reach the commercial stage (* Integrating the "ioenergy industry into e?isting industries* &uch creative inter:lin,ages would ensure that the e?isting opportunities and infrastructure are tapped to achieve resource efficiency 4* Esta"lishing a successful "ioenergy industry needs a high degree of organi/ational effort and a minimum level of infrastructure, income and ,nowledge elements that still have to "e developed in most of rural sectors in emerging economies and developing countries* 5* A mar,et approach could "e used to promote technology transfers on a self:sustaina"le

"asis, rather than remaining dependent on 0one time grants* +his should "e the case for technologically matured "ioenergy options* A* Innovative revenue:sharing mechanisms should "e considered if "ioenergy (such as co: generation) is to "e utili/ed as an effective poverty alleviation tool* An e?ample is the e-uita"le sharing of proceeds from the sale of co:generated electricity among the sta,eholders (including the small:scale farmers who provided the sugarcane) as practised in Mauritius* Another e?ample is to use some of the revenue from co:generated electricity to provide social amenities such as health posts, schools and clean water, as well as improving road networ,s in rural areas, as is "eing done "y sugar mills in 3enya* 10* Implementing incentives for the ade-uate developmentof regional support networ,s for each technology promoting and supporting association amongvery small producers promoting the commercialavaila"ility of small scale:"iomass technologies*