Cross Cutting Themes

The Cross Cutting Themes are led by the University of Edinburgh and include capacity building, research into use, south-south-north, and equity/gender.

CAPACITY BUILDING

 CB activities 2010-11

-       PISCES has organised and led training and development days in partner countries and Uganda & Botswana.

-       Practical Action Consulting Sri Lanka hosted the PISCES International Bioenergy Conference at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, on October 18th 2011.

-       Student symposia have been held in Dar es Salaam and Edinburgh.

-       A biochar symposium was organised on 16th June in Edinburgh.

-       Twelve PhD dissertations are in progress.

-       Eighteen MSc dissertations relevant to PISCES are in progress or just completed; eight of these have involved fieldwork with local partners;

-       Edinburgh MSc students’ participation in fieldwork with partners in India, Tanzania, Kenya and Sri Lanka has been inspirational to the student body and has strengthened links between partners.

-       Participation in National Bioenergy Policy Working Groups in Kenya, Tanzania and Sri Lanka by PISCES experts.

-       Participation in the Peoples Energy Network (PEN) Conference: Bio-energy opportunities and challenges in Africa, held at the University of Botswana, Gaborone, 20-22nd October 2010. Partners presented nine of the thirty papers.

 CB Statistics

-       In the lifetime of PISCES, research partners have logged more than 640 days of capacity-building (to March 2011);

-       These have included Research-into-Use; Market Mapping; Bioenergy Resource Mapping and service delivery; Value Chain Analysis; GIS; Land use change;

-       From 2008 to 2011 twenty MSc students graduated from UoE and UDSM with dissertations relevant to PISCES activities. To our knowledge at least half of these are currently employed in related industries/organisations (bioenergy, renewables, carbon trading, …) and several more have embarked on related doctoral programmes;

-       Edinburgh’s Sustainable Energy Systems MSc has a bioenergy component for all 58 students, contributed by PISCES staff.

-       10 days of training have been provided in support of Africa Knowledge Transfer Partnerships in Nairobi, Kampala, Fort Portal.

 Other CB initiatives

-       Internships in Practical Action.

-       Support for Africa Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (AKTPs).

-       Kenya project staff, communities and field staff trained by Gaia Association and Practical Action on safe use and handling of ethanol.

-       On-plant engineering training.

-       Linking University labs with industry partners.

-       Engineering Curriculum review.

-       Research partnership

RESEARCH INTO USE

-       James Smith and Tom Molony have contributed to the Nuffield Council for Bioethics report on New Approaches to Biofuels (published in spring 2011).

-       James Smith has contributed to an ActionAid outreach programme on biofuel investment and its implications for developing countries.

-       James Smith is using experience of capacity building and learning gleaned from the PISCES RPC to inform his input as senior advisor to DFID-ESRC joint Research on International Development (Poverty Alleviation).

-       Michael Newhouse, working with PAC UK, assisted in analysis of the Ashden Award winners via the PISCES Delivery Model tool; and in systems dynamics modelling of biomass resources, production and consumption in Sri Lanka

SOUTH-SOUTH-NORTH

-       South-led initiatives now predominate; sharing of knowledge and experience between partner countries remains a key feature of PISCES’ operation;

-       All partners regularly participate in exchange visits; in 2010-11 these amounted to 18, plus 8 student exchanges/fieldwork placements.

GENDER AND EQUITY

-       Gender implications of, and female/male participation in, all PISCES activities and workshops are recorded;

-       Tom Molony’s journal article “Bioenergy Policy in Africa: Mainstreaming gender amid an increasing focus on biofuels” is published in Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 5 (3) 330-341, May 2011

ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS

Books published:

Lyall C., T. Papaiounnou, J. Smith (eds.) (2009), Limits to Governance: the challenge of policymaking in the new life sciences, Ashgate, London

Smith J. (2009), Science and Technology for Development, Zed Books, London

Smith J. (2010), Biofuels and the Globalization of Risk, Zed Books, London

 

Papers published:

2011

Molony T. (2011), Bioenergy policy in Africa: mainstreaming gender amid an increasing focus on biofuels, Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 5 (3), 330-341

Ruysenaar S. (2011), Rethinking the Food-Versus-Fuel Debate: An Appraisal of International Perspectives and Implications for the South African Biofuels Strategy, Environment and Society, in press

Smith J. (2011), Biofuels and the limits of knowledge, The Gen, magazine of the ESRC Genomics Network

2010

Molony T., J. Smith (2010), Biofuels, Food Security and Africa, African Affairs, 109 (435), 489-498

Molony T., J. Smith (2010), African Biofuels, BioFuels Journal, Third quarter, 64

Molony T., J. Smith (2010), Biofuels in Africa: Growing complexities, Africa Energy Yearbook 2010, 61-64, London: EnergyNet, www.energynet.co.uk 

Smith J. (2010), New institutional arrangements for development, science and technology, Development, 53(1), 48-53

Smith J. (2010), Scientific responsibility and developmental complexity - a response to Rhodes and Sulston, European Journal of Development Research, 22(4), 583-585

2009

Katima J.H.Y., C.L. Pritchard (2009), Joint action on climate change: African countries – part of the problem or part of the solution?, Proc. JACC Conference, Denmark

Pritchard C.L., J.H.Y. Katima (2009), Growing Pains: the development and use of bioenergy resources”, Proc. World Congress of Chemical Engineering, Montreal

Smith J. (2009), New institutional arrangements for development, science and technology, Development, 53(1)

2008

Mignard D., C.L. Pritchard (2008), On the use of electrolytic hydrogen from variable renewable energies for the enhanced conversion of biomass to fuels, Transactions of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, Part A: Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 86, pp. 473-487 (This paper was awarded the Moulton Medal of the Institution of Chemical Engineers)


Book Chapters:

Smith J. (2009), Biosciences, ‘development’ and the abstraction of governance, in C. Lyall, T. Papaioannou and J. Smith (eds), The Limits of Governance: The Challenge of Policy-Making for the New Life Sciences, Ashgate, London 

 

Policy/Outreach:

Smith J. (2011), The oblivion of biofuels’, Contribution to Actionaid blog on biofuels, http://www.actionaid.org.uk/100621/blog.html?article=2955 

 

Forthcoming:

Broadhurst T. (2011), Biofuels and Sustainable Development: A case study from Tanzania, Working brief N. 3, http://www.pisces.or.ke/sites/default/files/Pisces%20Working%20Brief%20No.%203.pdf 

Pradhan S., S. Ruysenaar (2012), Burning Desires: Pro-poor Propaganda, Power and Biofuels Policies in India and South Africa, paper to be presented at the American Association of Geographers Annual conference, New York

Smith J. (2010), Agricultural research and global food insecurity, Policy Arena in Journal of International Development, (forthcoming)

Smith J. (2011), Policy and Inequality, draft chapter for Nuffield Council on Bioethics report on Biofuels

Conference papers:

- PEN Conference on Bio-energy, University of Botswana, October 2010:

Elisante B., R.J.A. Minja, H. Rajabu (2010), Rice Husks gasification: A potential bio-energy for cooking in areas/institutions surrounded by paddy growers, paper presented at the PEN Bio-energy Conference, University of Botswana

Eshton B., J.H.Y. Katima, E. Kituyi (2010), Environmental impacts of molasses based fuel ethanol as an alternative transportation fuel in Tanzania, paper presented at the PEN Bio-energy Conference, University of Botswana

Masomhe E.P., A.M.S. Nyomora (2010), Assessment of Propagation Methods on Oilferous Plant Species with Potential for Biodiesel Production, paper presented at the PEN Bio-energy Conference, University of Botswana

Mlay H., J. Katima, R. Minja, K.N. Njau (2010), Adsorption as Alternative Method of Removing Free Fatty Acids (FFAs) and Phospholipids from Vegetable Oil for Use as Fuel in Stationary Diesel Engines, paper presented at the PEN Bio-energy Conference, University of Botswana

Mlay H., J. Katima, R. Minja, K.N. Njau (2010), Improving Physical-chemical Properties of Jatropha Oil for Use as Fuel for Stationary Diesel Engines in Rural Areas, paper presented at the PEN Bio-energy Conference, University of Botswana

Moshi H.N., A.M.S. Nyomora, M.L.K. Manoko (2010), Key Potential Plant Species for the Biofuel Industry in Tanzania, paper presented at the PEN Bio-energy Conference, University of Botswana

Okullo A., A.K. Temu, J.W. Ntalikwa, P. Ogwok (2010), Effects of Feedstock Quality on Biodiesel from Jatropha and Castor Oils, paper presented at the PEN Bio-energy Conference, University of Botswana

Pritchard C.L. (2010), Bio-energy for sustainable development: the effective utilisation of bioenergy resources, Invited keynote lecture, paper presented at the PEN Bio-energy Conference, University of Botswana

- Micro Perspectives for Decentralised Energy Supply, Berlin Technical University, Germany, April 2011

Bloomfield E. (2011), Energy Delivery Model Tool for Understanding and Scaling Up Decentralised Energy Supply, proceedings of the Conference Micro Perspectives for Decentralised Energy Supply, Berlin, Germany

- AET2011 Kampala Uganda, February 2011.

Mussie T., H. Misginna, M. Rajabu (2011), Yield and Chemical Characteristics of Charcoal Produced by TLUD-ND Gasifier Cookstove Using Eucalyptus Wood as Feedstock, paper presented at the AET 2011, Kampala, Uganda