Clean energy, thriving rural communities

In a rapidly heating world, a swift transition to clean energy is crucial. To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we must hit two milestones: halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

But developing poor rural communities requires energy. Renewable sources, like solar power and biogas, allow rural people to prosper without relying on polluting fossil and wood fuels.

Solar power helps communities grow

The arid Bolivian Altiplano lies in the rain shadow of the Andes. Here, René Soto Vadillo once carried water from kilometres away for his herd of llamas and alpacas, like his parents before him.

So when the IFAD-funded Pro-Camélidos project discovered a body of water hidden deep beneath the parched ground, René was delighted. The project installed solar-powered water pumps, which now provide water to his herd without spewing carbon into the delicate high-mountain ecosystem.

René, in the Bolivian Andes, shows his neighbour Elena how their community's new water pump works. © IFAD/Carlos Sánchez Navas

 

Solar-powered irrigation systems have also brought prosperity to rural women in Rwanda. Goretti Uwitije and her farming cooperative once couldn’t grow enough vegetables to cover the operating costs of their fuel-powered irrigation system. Thanks to the IFAD-supported JP-RWEE project, they now have an irrigation system powered by the most abundant fuel of all: the sun.

“Now I’m very happy,” says Goretti. “Our cooperative earnings have increased from less than RWF 200,000 to over RWF 2 million (US$ 1,848) per season through the sale of fruits and vegetables from the solar-irrigated land.”

Goretti's income in Rwanda has increased and she is now able to provide for her family. © WFP/JohnPaul Sesonga

 

Biogas powers a circular economy

Livestock droppings and rotting crop residues can be major sources of methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas, and is 80 times as warming as carbon dioxide. But with IFAD's support, small-scale farmers are turning this harmful waste into clean energy.

Using processing systems known as bio-digesters, waste is converted into biogas, which is cleaner than methane. It’s a win-win for both people and planet: farmers cut their fuel expenditures and the time spent collecting firewood, while reducing pollution and deforestation.

For many women, who are often responsible for the time-consuming work of collecting firewood, biogas is a gamechanger. Kenyan farmer Tabitha Juma used to spend several hours twice a week collecting firewood for cooking.

But after her family received a biogas digester at a subsidized rate through the Upper Tana Catchment Natural Resource Management Project, getting clean gas and fertilizer became easy. Now, Tabitha has more time to tend her vegetable plot.

Tabitha, in Kenya, uses her newfound free time to grow and sell tomatoes, onions, maize, beans and more. © IFAD/Translieu/Samuel Nyaberi

 

Rural businesses can also use biogas to create a circular economy. Supported by the VCDP-II initiative in Nigeria, the Lokogoma Cassava Processing Centre uses organic waste from processing cassava to produce biofuel. This in turn powers the fryers used to produce cassava flour, known as garri – a staple in West Africa. The centre has increased its production from 100 kilos to 1.8 tons and is now exporting garri to Niger.

Powered by the private sector

In Cambodia, IFAD awards grants to promising enterprises working in renewable energy, enabling them to test their products, establish value chains and enter the market.

With a leg-up from the Scaling-up of Renewable Energy Technologies project, Khmer Green Charcoal found new rural markets for its biochar briquettes made from coconut husks and other agricultural waste. Every kilo of biochar briquette saves 6.5 kilos of wood from being cut from Cambodia’s lush forests. These briquettes are now used by over 3,000 poultry farmers to keep newborn chicks warm.

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IFAD is committed to rural development powered by clean energy. As countries rein in emissions, we will support small-scale farmers around the world as they do their bit to reach net-zero by 2050.

Read IFAD’s approach to Renewable Energy for Smallholder Agriculture.

publication-date: 25 Janeiro 2024