NEW ENERGY FOR DEVELOPING WORLD FARMERS

Five Renewable Sources of Energy for Farmers in Developing Countries

Isaac Hopkins and Jenny Beth Dyess, April 17, 2012 ()

“…Many of the world’s poorest people are rural farmers with no connections to power grids or large-scale energy sources. Most of their day-to-day energy currently comes from the burning of wood and charcoal, practices that contribute to air pollution, deforestation, and the loss of precious time and energy collecting firewood…[but] five sources of renewable energy…are [also]…allowing them to improve their harvests and their lives.

“1. Solar Energy: …The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a non-profit organization that is working in more than 20 countries to install…an innovative drip-irrigation system in Benin that is powered by photovoltaics…Solar Household Energy, Inc. (SHE) provides rural farmers, often women, with solar cookers, called HotPots, and the training to use them effectively…One project in Chad decreased household wood usage by up to 40 percent in only two months.”

“2. Wind Energy: …The organization Practical Action…helped villages in Sri Lanka install a wind turbine that provides electricity for the entire community…Villagers pooled their resources to install and manage the turbine…and as a result a number of steady jobs are created. Installing a local turbine also means people no longer have to travel long distances and pay large amounts to recharge batteries that they regularly use.

“3. Biogas: …[With the] International Fund for Agricultural Development…Farmers in Fada, a village in China’s Guangxi province, each built their own plants to channel waste from household toilets and nearby shelters for animals into a sealed tank. As the waste ferments, gas is captured and used in cooking. Forests are being protected because pressure for firewood has been reduced, saving 56,000 tons of firewood per year. Over five years, area farmers increased tea production from 400 to 2,500 kilograms a day and average income in the village quadrupled to more than $1 per day…4. Micro Hydropower…5. Biomass Briquettes…”