Sustainable biomass power for rural India: Case study of biomass gasifier for village electrification
The performance and impact of a decentralized biomass gasifier-based power generation system in an unelectrified village are presented. In Hosahalli village, Karnataka, India, lighting, drinking water, irrigation water and flour-milling services are provided using power derived from the biomass gasifier-based power generation system. The system consists of a 20 kW gasifier-engine generator system with all the accessories for fuel processing and electricity distribution. The biomass power system has functioned for over 14 years (1988–2004) in Hosahalli village (population of 218 during 2003), meeting all the electricity needs of the village. Lighting and piped drinking water supply using biomass electricity was provided for over 85% of the days during the past six years. The fuel, operation and maintenance cost ranged from Rs 5.85/kWh at a load of 5 kW to Rs 3.34/kWh at a load of 20 kW. Technical, social, economic and management-related lessons learnt are presented here.
Rural Energy in Developing Countries
Supplying modern energy services to the 2 billion people who still cook with traditional solid fuels and lack access to electricity is probably one of the most pressing problems facing humanity today. The amount of energy needed to satisfy the basic needs of rural populations around the world is relatively small, and appropriate technologies are available. However, widening access to modern energy services is limited by the extreme poverty found particularly in the least developed countries. Living standards in rural areas can be significantly improved by promoting a shift from direct combustion of biomass fuels (dung, crop residues, and fuelwood) or coal in inefficient and polluting stoves to clean, efficient liquid or gaseous fuels and electricity. Although consumers tend to shift to these modern, higher-quality energy carriers as their incomes rise and the carriers become more affordable, the process is slow. Yet a shift to such carriers can reduce the damage to human health and the drudgery associated with continued reliance on inefficient, polluting solid fuels. This chapter describes experience with and prospects for improving the technologies used to cook with biomass in several countries, as well as the development of clean, non-toxic cooking fuels. Progress in rural electrification—using both centralised, grid-based approaches and small-scale, decentralized technologies—is also described. Technological developments alone, however, will not improve access or promote greater equity. New institutional measures are also needed, including financing to cover the initial capital costs of devices and equipment. Energy initiatives will be most successful when integrated with other policies that promote development. And because local populations will ultimately use, maintain, and pay for energy services, they should be involved in making decisions about energy systems. _
ICT Business Incubation: Evidence from Mauritius
The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of the ICT sector in Mauritius and the ICT Incubator Centre managed by the National Computer Board that has been successfully initiated and implemented. The ICT sector in Mauritius has witnessed major development and undergone rapid and sustained growth over the past four years. The vision of the government to transform Mauritius into a Cyber Island in the year 2000 and making ICT the fifth pillar of the economy is gradually taking shape. One of the determining factors for the rapid development of the ICT sector is the high-level of political commitment through the ICT Ministerial Committee chaired by the Prime Minister. Under this Committee, three task forces were set up to manage the (i) Cyber City and Business Parks (ii) E-Education & Training and the (iii) E-Government. To this effect, the Government strategy has been fully geared to create a conducive environment to ensure unparalleled development of this sector.
As part of the ICT Development strategy, the National Computer Board had undertaken a feasibility study in May 2001 for the setting up of an ICT Incubator Centre, and submitted its recommendations to the parent Ministry. The document was instrumental to promote business incubation as an economic strategy and for securing funding to kick-start this project. In the Government Budget Speech 2001/2002 the following paragraph was noted “In our drive to make of Mauritius a Cyber Island, we are not ignoring the need to promote Mauritian entrepreneurship. Our young people are endowed with talent and potential for innovative ideas in ICT. They need to be provided with the necessary support and facilities. The National Computer Board will set up an ICT incubator to promote start- ups.”. The mechanisms for the procurement, commissioning were initiated thereafter, and the Centre was fully operational in January 2003 with initially four tenants. The project was customized for the local context while paying special attention to the main recommendations of the feasibility report. The document also elaborates on the stages of development of the ICT Incubator Centre since its conception as an idea to its implementation.
As an integrated effort to nurture ICT start-ups, the centre offers business support, logistics and infrastructural facilities to youngsters with innovative business ideas. The objective is to promote entrepreneurship and to create fledgling enterprises in the ICT Sector. The unit occupies a surface area of 500 sq mts and can accommodate nine start-ups. Besides the services and facilities provided, the Centre has developed a local network to promote and nurture its start-ups and to promote entrepreneurship. The Incubator Centre was initially conceived to help local entrepreneurs and gradually the joint venture undertakings comprising of local and foreign enterprises have been accommodated. Since its operations eighteen enterprises have benefited from the business support, logistics and infrastructural facilities offered by the ICT Incubator Centre. As at date five enterprises have successfully graduated from this facility. As a case study, three enterprises’ business track records during their tenancy at the ICT Incubator Centre will be examined namely M-ITC Co Ltd, Innovative Creative Lines (ICL) Ltd and AM Web Solutions Ltd.
Rural Electrification in India: Economic and Institutional aspects of Renewables
The paper assesses the demand for rural electricity services and contrasts it with the technology options available for rural electrification. Decentralised Distributed Generation can be economically viable as reflected by case studies reported in literature and analysed in our field study. Project success is driven by economically viable technology choice; however it is largely contingent on organizational leadership and appropriate institutional structures. While individual leadership can compensate for deployment barriers, we argue that a large scale roll out of rural electrification requires an alignment of economic incentives and institutional structures to implement operate and maintain the scheme. This is demonstrated with the help of seven case studies of projects across north India.
Land to Lab approach for promoting farmers innovation: a case study – Peermade Development Society, Idukki, Kerala
The scientists of Peemade Development Society (PDS), an NGO based in Idukki, Kerala, India, have initiated an approach ‘Land to Lab’ for the participatory technology development of farmers’ innovations and unique traditional knowledge practices. Documentation, development and dissemination of farmers’ innovations are the major activities envisaged under this approach. Significant achievements have been made in all aspects of intervention. A large number of innovative practices, technological innovations, and unique traditional practices have been identified and documented. The innovations and unique knowledge practices relevant to societal development were selected and subjected to various formal and informal validation processes and value-addition efforts before dissemination. Value-added knowledge practices and innovations are disseminated through various commercial and noncommercial sectors. The centre has developed unique replicable enterprise models for developing and disseminating local innovations and knowledge practices with the people’s participation. The paper describes the ‘Land to Lab’ approach, achievements and experiences, lessons learnt and major constraints.
Keywords: Farmer innovation, documentation, development, dissemination, women self-help groups.
Study of Marketing Options and Structures Available for Organic Products for Non-Governmental Organisations in India
The purpose of this study was to understand different forms of enterprises that an NGO in India can choose to promote and operate the commercial activity of marketing organic products and at the same time safeguard the farmers’ interest. Five enterprises having different structures were studied. It was concluded that if the enterprise model carried out as a society is proven viable, it would not be difficult to attract mutual fund investors particularly those keen on supporting rural enterprises. After the initial phase of establishment when the enterprise operations have stabilized and matured, the enterprise can be converted into a suitable form as a producer, public or private limited company, depending on the interest of the stakeholders. The results and analysis of this study would provide insights to various other development organisations involved in organic cultivation and marketing.
Spatio-temporal analysis of micro financing for agricultural innovation diffusion in Mezam division, Cameroon
Some rural development experts consider micro-financing as a panacea for food insecurity and rural
poverty alleviation. Development policies in favour of the rural poor using micro-financing have had
positive but insufficient impacts on the conditions of poverty. The study uses a combination of primary
and secondary data to make a spatio-temporal analysis of micro financing based on the innovation
diffusion model. It appraises the techniques of micro credit diffusion, maps the spatial diffusion trends
and analyses the evolution of the adoption process. The study like previous ones concludes that the
micro credit scheme has had positive but insufficient impacts on agricultural development. It therefore
identifies the bottlenecks in the use of micro financing in favour of the rural poor and the scope to
achieve a successful design of a community-based financial institution which is best adapted to rural
realities and will be accepted by local financial institutions and by the rural people alike. Micro
financing should aim at making available financial and technical assistance to the poor by adapting to
local realities, linking structures with the informal financial sector of the micro economy and innovating
institutions and procedures for access to credit.
Key words: Spatial diffusion, temporal diffusion, micro-finance, core-periphery, innovation adoption, agricultural development.
Innovation in agriculture and NRM in communities confronting HIV/AIDS: a review of international experience
This document aims to review international experience on the role of agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) in preventing and alleviating HIV/AIDS. In particular it draws attention to the importance of local innovation in these efforts and to the experience gained in identifying and boosting local innovation processes. Examples of local innovations of both a social and technical nature are described, as far as possible together with an assessment of the conditions that have favoured or hindered innovation. The purpose is to provide guidance to the country teams in their search for relevant local innovations and in planning for the workshops that they will be organising with partners in both the agriculture/NRM and AIDS/health communities.
We first outline some of the key features of HIV/AIDS epidemics and of their relationship with rural livelihoods dependent on agriculture and NRM. We then discuss in turn how the spread of HIV infection can be hastened when rural livelihoods are undermined and how the illness and deaths that follow infection can contribute to undermining rural livelihoods. This sets the stage for discussion of the roles local innovation play in the struggle with HIV/AIDS and for considering some of the local innovations that have come to light. We also ask why local innovation is not better recognised and appreciated, describe some of the constraints it faces and provide some ideas on ways this initiative can improve the situation.
