'To achieve the government’s target of full access in a cost effective manner, this project proposed a two track approach: (i) expand the electricity distribution grid to connect new consumers and (ii) support renewable energy options to provide electricity in areas not reached by the grid by making solar home systems (SHS) available to households and a biomass pilot project to electrify village markets and associated small enterprises and households.'

'The Renewable Energy Development Project, supported by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) promoted the development of a sustainable photovoltaic (PV) market in China. The aim was to provide reliable, affordable and environment-friendly energy to villagers who live off the electric grid, by assisting the development of good-quality, service-oriented PV businesses through capacity building, training and technical assistance.'

When farmers get access to credit and reliable storage facilities for their grain, it gives them the option to sell it when they can get the best price. The warehouse receipt system, introduced in some districts of Tanzania through an IFAD-supported programme, is now being introduced throughout the country by the government.

Climate change is one of the most serious threats the world faces. It will affect all of us, but will have a disproportionate impact on millions of poor rural people. Climate change is a challenge to everyone working in development.

Poor rural farmers and herders in developing countries that bear the brunt of land degradation and desertification are also part of the solution, according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

The 16th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development was held in New York in May 2008. This year, the session was dedicated to reviewing issues related to Agriculture, Rural Development, Land, Drought, Desertification and Africa. Indigenous Briefs is a collection of issue papers examining these topics from African indigenous perspectives.

The Frontlines forum is to explore the experiences in dealing with the effects of climate change of rural or indigenous communities living in small islands, the circumpolar Arctic, high-altitude zones, low-lying coastal areas, tropical forests, desert margins and other vulnerable environments. For many people, climate change is a distant threat but, for these vulnerable communities, it is already a reality.

UNESCO’s Coasts and Small Islands platform and Local and Indigenous Knowledge System more...

After pursuing countless generations of continuous growth, the human species is finally confronted with one of its greatest challenges: how to live sustainably upon the earth. The fact that we have not done so up until now is readily evident – natural resources are running out and being degraded, local environments are experiencing radical climatic changes, and people around the world are dying from starvation and disease. As a result, new models are being sought out in terms of how human shou more...

“Like earlier civilizations that got into environmental trouble, we have to make a choice. We can stay with business as usual and watch our economy decline and our civilization unravel, or we can adopt Plan B and be the generation that mobilizes to save civilization. Our generation will make the decision, but it will affect life on earth for all generations to come.”(Lester Brown)

The BioEnergy List is an extensive blog that provides links to equipment, resources, discussions, evaluation, and organizations promoting carbon neutral fuels. It contains links to many case studies in developing countries funded by major donors and NGOs to support the use of biomass fuels, including this link to energy-efficient stoves for burning biofuels instead of petroleum.