Biofuels for Sustainable Rural Development and Empowerment of Women

This book is a collaborative effort to explore the potential of biofuels to provide sustainable livelihoods and local sources of energy for people in rural areas of developing countries, with a special emphasis on women. The book includes case studies from Cambodia, Nepal, India, Ghana, India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Although there are many forms of bio-energy that can be useful in this regard, our focus in this book is on plant products, mostly seeds, used to produce oil - which is then either utilized directly in engines or equipment, or processed into biodiesel. The book was presented at the current 17th session of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD 17) in New York and was developed with support from IUCN.

Nepal Case Study: Using Community-Grown Jatropha Oil for Irrigation Pumps to Support Increased Agricultural Production and Rural Economic Growth - Megesh Tiwari, Jagadish Chandra Kuikel

Currently, rural households with access to irrigation pumps must depend on scarce and expensive diesel fuel. However, many poor households cannot afford to rent irrigation pumps at the going rate of $2 per hour, and have to depend on rain water for irrigation. Locally produced Jatropha oil is expected to be significantly cheaper than diesel fuel for powering irrigation pumps. Therefore, the project is expected to increase access to irrigation, and enhance agricultural production and rural incomes.

The project has started in communities where Jatropha plants are already growing in the wild or used as hedgerows. Local community groups and coordinating committees are organizing the Jatropha seed collection and managing the operation of high efficiency oil expellers. The oil will not be processed into biodiesel, but will be used directly in pumps modified to run effectively on pure plant oil.

The Center for Integrated Rural Community Development Nepal (CIRCOD-Nepal) is the local NGO implementing this project within the Siraha district. Two government entities, the Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF), which implements the National Poverty Alleviation Program, and the Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC), are coordinating partners. Winrock International is providing overall management and monitoring for the project – showing local communities how to produce and use Jatropha oil as fuel for irrigation pumps, as well as providing advisory and technical support, coordinating stakeholder activities, and facilitating technology financing.

The impacts of using Jatropha oil in place of diesel fuel for irrigation pumps will be documented by the project. This will include collection of data and analysis of impacts on the rural economy, irrigation coverage, agricultural production, environment, health, drudgery, women, and so on. Efforts will be made to highlight impacts of the project on achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and local poverty reduction. The resulting documentation will be presented to the policy makers for reference and future planning.