Publications

Looking back at the history of SNV in Rwanda since its inception in 1981

SNV Ethiopia supports fruit marketing cooperatives in Southern Ethopia since 2007. They facilitate business to business arrangements, business planning and improved operational management, and access to critical services. This case describes the results of the support to two fruit cooperatives focusing respectively on mangos and highland fruits.

This case study describes the transformation of coffee cooperative COCAMU from being a donor driven association to a business oriented cooperative. COCAMU’s mission is to contribute to a positive change in the livelihoods of its members through the improvement of quality and quantity of the coffee production, and accessing better markets. SNV Rwanda has been providing capacity development services, with the aim of strengthening the organisational and institutional capacities of COCAMU in the coffee industry.

A Firm-Level Approach to Majority Market Business: Private Sector Mapping (PSM) Project. This publication is the final project report, detailing the Private Sector Mapping activities across 13 countries in the Latin American region.

See also: Inclusive Business at SNV

Ninety per cent of the household in Samburu District practice traditional pastoralism. For most pastoralists, livestock is not produced for subsistence alone, but livestock sales ensure conversion of the livestock value to cash currency when the need arises. However, as is common in most pastoralist communities, inefficiencies in livestock value chain result in low returns for producers. SNV, in partnership with Samburu Integrated Development programme (SIDEP), a local NGO, and Samburu County Council explored establishing primary markets with the aim of increasing income for producers and the county council, without compromising the quality of the produce. This case describes the successes and lessons learned from this business model.

Design of an R-coefficient for REDD+ benefit distribution systems– the R-coefficient introduces a formula for the delivery of environmental and social co-benefits through the benefit distribution system for REDD+.

Design of an R-coefficient for REDD+ benefit distribution systems– the R-coefficient introduces a formula for the delivery of environmental and social co-benefits through the benefit distribution system for REDD+.

Implementation of a sensible and consistent subsidy policy combined with the development of a liberalized policy and procedures for private sector participation triggered the entry of the private sector in the construction biogas plants.

The quality control aspect is a well-steered programme that has protected the interest of the plant owners and hence elevated the image of the programme to be credible position. Studies have shown that the EIRR is higher than the FIRR, which justifies continuation of the existing subsidy. The impact of the subsidy on increasing the number of plant has been remarkable, but the plan is to phase out subsidy to all sectors. On the financing front, there has been a trend on the proportion of equities-financed plants, however institutionally, the biogas sub-sector cannot be considered as a strong one. Leaving the BSP aside, it remains with three organisations, i.e. AEPC, AEPDF and the NBPG, which have not been able to demonstrate desirable capacity.

The study concludes that the BSP target of installing up to 25,000 plants a year remains doubtful. In order to achieve the achievable, there needs to be some improvement in the existing institutional structure and policy. The study ends with recommendations to Programme for Institutional Capacity Building of the AEPC, Initiate R&D and Introduce Flexibility in the Plant Model, Announce Timeframe for Subsidy, Develop Village Level Masons and Suppliers of Appliances, and Concentrate the Plants so that Service become Cheaper.

The African Biogas Partnership Programme (ABPP) is a Private Public Partnership (PPP) between DGIS, SNV and Hivos aiming at supporting the construction of some 70,500 digesters over a period of 5 years. The purpose of this partnership is to improve living conditions of households in six African countries.

A monitoring plan which focuses on measuring the expected outputs (number of biogas digesters, biogas construction enterprises, trainings etc.) has been set up. Besides outputs, the quantitative and qualitative results on outcome and impact level, from the perspective of the end-users will have to be measured. To be able to assess these results in the future, baseline data needs to be collected. This study sets the baseline for evaluating the outcomes and impacts of the programme. This baseline study establishes a reliable database on socio-economic and gender aspects in Uganda; serves as a basis for monitoring and evaluation of programme activities; enriches monitoring and evaluation through development of participatory indicators; and provides benchmark data for an Impact Assessment of the UDBP at a point in time that remains to be defined.

Chapters of this study are respectively: Introduction; Baseline Study Approach and Methodology; Socio-Economic Characteristics; Current Energy Situation; Gender Dimensions Related to Adoption of Biogas Technology; Policy and Institutional Mechanisms; Summary of Study Findings; Developing Indicators; References.

The study aims to investigate women’s access to and involvement in biogas and its impact on their lives, and will identify existing constraints which inhibit fuller exploitation of the potentials of RET from gender perspective.

It was found that 17 out of 24 sample has have attached latrine with biogas plant and a significant proportion of joint decision of both men and women has been reported in latrine attachment.

Male played the leading role in management of all phases and the women’s role was more supportive. The program should endeavour maximum participation of women at all stages of management. Unlike at the stage of decision-making, it is interesting that many women are responsible for the operation of biogas. Women have definitely benefited more compared to men. In total women were found to save 66 minutes per day. They have saved significant time in collecting fuel wood, cooking food and washing cooking vessels. Like men counterparts they require more time mixing slurry.

Focus Group Discussion (FGD) revealed that women users perceived easy cooking, smokeless environment and reduced daily workload main benefits. Saving of firewood collection time, avoid noise of kerosene stove, positive impact in health of family members and clean and healthy household environment were other frequently quoted benefits. Biogas users women perceived biogas technology still expensive for general people, as of limited use because it is only used for cooking, and lacks adequate training for maintenance and repair as the main demerits or constraints of biogas installation.

The study aimed to investigate and assess women’s access to and involvement in the biogas and its impact on their lives. The study aimed to identify existing constraints which inhibit fuller exploitation of the potentials of RET from gender perspective. A total 27 biogas users were interviewed from Sanischare, Arjundhara, Charpane, Chandragadhi, Gauradaha and Maharani VDCs.

Although women have significant role in installation of the biogas plant and in taking care of it, men have the leading role and women work as their supporter in the decision making process of biogas installation in general. In order to identify needs of women and deliver them the benefits of the technology, the programme should endeavour maximum participation of women at all stages of management.

Women have definitely benefited more as compared to men. In total women were found to save 49 minutes of time. Women have saved significant time in cooking food, washing cooking vessels and collecting fuel wood in the order of importance. Like men counterparts they require more time mixing slurry. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) revealed that women users perceived easy cooking, smokeless environment and reduced daily workload as the main benefits. Saving of firewood, saving of kerosene, positive impact in health of family members and clean and healthy household environment were other frequently quoted benefits of biogas.

The study recommends that the subsidy amount should not be reduced. Secondly, the users require more focused training in repair and maintenance and thirdly, an awareness raising program among people should be started.

The objective is to assess the Renewable Energy Technology (RET) development from the perspective of income generating activities and to investigates the role of RET in enhancing employment and income generating activities in the Dhading district of Nepal. Although this study includes the findings on four important components of RET- Biogas, Micro HydroPower, Solar Home System and Ghatta, only relevant information on biogas has been highlighted in this abstract.

The study describes the characteristics of the RET user; in total biogas stoves were used 4.0 hours in a day. Not a single household used biogas for lighting purpose. Paddy, wheat and maize are the main crops produced by the farmers in the area. The interviewed RET user hhs produced on average 1.739, 0.084 and 0.478 mt of paddy, wheat and maize respectively. If the RET user hhs sold an average of 0.405 mt of paddy and 0.098 mt of maize, none of them sold wheat. The RET user hhs also produced and sold crops like millet, mustard and potato.

The biogas user hhs main income generating activities were agricultural based like vegetable, butter (Gheeu) and local wine (Rakshi) production. Fertiliser required for vegetable production is being substituted by slurry produced from biogas. On an average each hh produces 180 kg of vegetable and the estimated revenue from its sales is Rs. 1,620. Some of the feasible incomes generating activities identified are vegetable production, livestock products, poultry farming and agro-processing, which require substantial amounts of labour and energy inputs.

Based on its vast experience in the world and the Asian region, SNV decided in 2009 to expand its’ activities in Cambodia into the agricultural sector. The choice was made to focus on agricultural diversification into fruits and vegetables with the aim to stimulate income generating activities for rural households. This study aims to understand what the underlying motivations are for farmers to start growing vegetables as a cash crop, or not. The study gives interesting insights in what motivates farmers, and how Cambodian cultural beliefs play an important role in that.

The objective was to define effective demand for biogas installations and to know the socioeconomic variables that influence the potential demand for biogas plants and an effective promotional and marketing strategy. Of the total 800 households that were interviewed, 335 represented semi-urban and 67 percent rural VDCs. The proportions of households installing biogas plants increased with the increase in the amount of land and there was positive relationship between size of the cultivated land and size of the plants installed.

Majority of the large farmers (92%) and medium farmers (65%) were from the Terai belt. Most of medium and small farmers installing plants were from rural areas and approximately 50% had electricity facility. About 72 percent had taken loans from banks and 59.7 percent received loans
by the co-operation of GGC. Most of the loans were repaid back. Among households with plants, 8 percent had received various kinds of support from the local NGOs. Of them 50 percent got some financial support. The manpower status of the surveyed biogas companies seemed inadequate, as well as the after-sale-services. Further, the promotional strategies adopted by companies were inadequate.

Of the total 526 households who knew about biogas, 59.9% were willing to install plants. Not all were aware who to contact for plant installation and the cost of it. Radio was the source of information to the largest proportion of the respondents. Both illiterate and those having many years of schooling were almost equally aware of the biogas technology.

This case study describes the innovative mainstream approach used by SNV Mozambique to link the tourism There is a follow up case in 2009 entitled "The case of the Programmatic Approach in Tourism– Inhambane peninsula, Mozambique (“A Terra de Boa Gente (The land of good people) – PART II)"

Summary