Section IV, Chapter 35 of Agenda 21 calls for an improvement in the scientific basis for decision-making in all aspects relating to the environment and development. Research is needed into climate change, resource consumption rates, demographic trends and their relation to environmental damage. Agenda 21 calls for the strengthening of research capacity, especially in developing countries.
Research into all aspects of household energy is continually improving, but its dissemination to all actors in the energy field is often inadequate. HEDON calls for greater cooperation and information exchange between all of the participants in the development process, including NGOs, donors, governments, research institutions and universities, and the private sector. Household energy projects have contributed to the knowledge about amounts and flows of the main household fuels - wood and charcoal. Projects can facilitate a better understanding of the processes, the origin of the fuels and the impact on the eco-system.
Fuelwood and charcoal supply for big population centres has often caused severe degradation of ecosystems around cities up to several hundred kilometres along arterial roads. This type of knowledge opens possibilities for more effective management of the fuel flows, helping to assure fuel supply and minimizing damage to the eco-system. In Niger and Burkina Faso, for example, such knowledge has resulted in forest management systems for the sustainable supply of fuelwood to the capital cities of Niamey and Ouagadougou. In other countries like Chad and Mali, similar initiatives are either planned or in operation.
Projects have contributed to the knowledge about how energy is used for cooking, making it possible to design improved stoves adapted to local habits and production facilities, economizing substantially on fuel consumption. Standardized testing procedures have been developed and measurements of fuel consumption have replaced estimations, resulting in improved project appraisal, planning and monitoring.
Marketing studies have shown that, for certain market niches, fuelwood and charcoal can be substituted by kerosene and gas. Although substitution with fossil fuels contributes to CO2 emissions, it can reduce the degradation of the eco-system in some areas. Fossil fuels are commonly imported, so their promotion should be based on careful analysis, taking into account both economic as well as environmental consequences. Studies and pilot projects have investigated the possible use of agricultural and industrial biomass wastes as a household fuel, using techniques like briquetting and agglomeration.
Household energy projects have contributed to the knowledge about the health impacts of cookstove emissions through studies on indoor air quality. In highly populated areas the emissions of cookstoves and fires locally and temporarily affect the atmospheric conditions, but little or nothing has been done to date to quantify these effects. If and to what extent the combustion of household fuels contributes to the global greenhouse effect has not been quantified. Estimations would be possible, based on fairly accurately known fuel consumption figures per head.
Local expertise on household energy and related problems has been developed, including the problems related to the eco-system and atmosphere. Databases are set up and maintained, as in Niger where the „Système d'Information et d'Evaluation Permanente" of the Energie II project is operating.
The need for an integrated approach to household energy, embracing social and economic as well as technical dimensions, has resulted in greater cooperation between ministries (forestry, energy and mining, education) and the private sector.
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Networks The Latin America Technical Cooperation Network on Dendroenergy was created in 1984 as a joint activity of the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC) and the Wood Energy Programme of the FAO Forestry Department. The network is a voluntary cooperative arrangement that aims to promote the horizontal exchange of information and experience among the experts and technicians of technical institutions involved in wood energy matters. The following countries are present members of the network: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay. Regular meetings are held to discuss strategic topics of specific interest for the member countries and participants, assess the wood energy situation and strengthen regional/national capabilities to deal with wood energy matters. Several technical publications and case studies have been prepared and a newsletter is regularly published as a cost-effective channel to communicate information and promote strategies. More recently, it has also promoted the creation of national groups to expand, transmit and share regional experiences with other colleagues and partners within the country. Argentina, Brazil and Honduras are among the most active national groups. Another cooperative network on wood energy has been developed within the framework of the Regional Wood Energy Development Programme in Asia (RWEDP). |
