Publications

This annual report provides more detail of the strategic position choices SNV made in East and Southern Africa in 2007 and illustrates our approach with case studies from our practice.

Energy in Africa capability statement

The brochure is a compilation of various case studies illustrating the impact of SNV's work in the life of millions of people in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

It portrays the approaches and methods used by SNV to empower local communities, businesses and organisations to break the cycle of poverty by providing them with the tools, knowledge and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services.

Chibwe, a Zambian woman, heard about the many uses of Jatropha at a meeting organised by SNV and the Zambian Ministry of Science and Technology in early 2006 in Kasama. She was sceptical at first, however, she accepted and signed a contract to cultivate the crop on behalf of biofuel companies that were present. Two years later, the Jatropha bushes started bearing pods. Chibwe harvested them, dried them in the sun, and then took them to the newly registered enterprise, Chipalila Industries and sold them at 5,000 Kwacha per 5kgs. This oil is used in the lanterns to provide lighting in the home. Other households will use the oil for cooking in their stoves. In 2006, SNV Zambia linked small farmers across five districts in Northern Province to biofuel companies known as “seed suppliers”. Farmers are trained in nursery establishment, Jatropha growing, disease and pest control. In 2008, SNV facilitated the establishment of a rural based enterprise called Chipalila Industries that processes Jatropha seed purchased from the farmers. This company was trained by on of SNV’s partners in processing lantern oil and soap from the seed. The farmers sell the seeds to the company that in turn processes and sells the finished products back to the communities at a profit. This has improved the livelihoods and incomes of community members. The case study ends with more outcomes of the lessons learned, e.g. linking farmers to agricultural extension service providers and the need to boost collection, analysis and dissemination of information on the Jatropha market.