Knowledge fuels change - Support energypedia!
For over 10 years, energypedia has been connecting energy experts around the world — helping them share knowledge, learn from each other, and accelerate the global energy transition.
Today, we ask for your support to keep this platform free and accessible to all. Even a small contribution makes a big difference! If just 10–20% of our 60,000+ monthly visitors donated the equivalent of a cup of coffee — €5 — Energypedia would be fully funded for a whole year.
Is the knowledge you’ve gained through Energypedia this year worth €5 or more?
Your donation keeps the platform running, helps us create new knowledge products, and contributes directly to achieving SDG 7.

Donate now and support open access to energy expertise
Thank you for your support, your donation, big or small, truly matters!

Publication - Renewable Energy Access and Socio-economic Development: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Mchinji and Rumphi Districts in Malawi

From energypedia

►Add a New Publication
►See All Latest Publications

Title
Renewable Energy Access and Socio-economic Development: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Mchinji and Rumphi Districts in Malawi
Publisher
OXFAM America
Author
Agro-Ind Serve
Published in
March 2019
Abstract
This report explores the role and extent to which renewable energy access can contribute to the social and economic development of smallholder farmers in Malawi with reference to “Improved livelihoods for 3,000 poor farmers and their families in rural Malawi” project as a case study. The project has been operating in Malawi since 2015 and was funded by the Scottish Government. This study focuses on the access to renewable energy aspects of the project and covers the work undertaken between April 2015 and September 2018. Between April 2015 and September 2018, renewable energy technologies were introduced in 3 districts, namely, Lilongwe and Mchinji in Central Malawi and Rumphi in Northern Malawi for small-scale irrigation, value addition, and small enterprises. The evaluation samples 322 households and finds that access to solar energy, in particular, has positive impacts on poor rural households in terms of livelihoods, food security, and women’s empowerment and gender relations. Overall, access to solar irrigation, value addition, and business enterprises provided participating households with new sources of income. Almost 71% of households belonging to solar enterprise groups, 49% in value addition groups, and 35% in irrigation groups experienced an increase in household income over the duration of the project as opposed to control groups. However, the positive impacts of the interventions are yet to exceed the cost of provision of renewable energy technologies because of challenges beneficiaries encountered surrounding non-functional equipment and limited markets. Nevertheless, the project provided a learning ground for future interventions related to renewable energy.
URL
link to the document


Admin:
Yes

PIE Grant (Grid Portal)?


















Retrieved from "https://energypedia.info/index.php?title=Publication_-_Renewable_Energy_Access_and_Socio-economic_Development:_The_Case_of_Smallholder_Farmers_in_Mchinji_and_Rumphi_Districts_in_Malawi&oldid=294502"