SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND GENDER ISSUES
PISCES research is addressing critical questions about the effect of bioenergy activities on water, land, and food security – namely, can adverse effects on livelihoods be minimised while the provision of energy services are maximised. This is a crucial research area as the trade-offs are not fully known and the consequences of not understanding could have a devastating impact on poor communities in Africa and Asia, which are already marginalised.
The Research Programme Consortium recognises that the provision, access, and delivery of energy services and the effect they have on livelihoods are different for men and women. A methodology has been designed to address gender equity in all PISCES research and specifically provide ways of incorporating gender into energy and development policies, and better include gender equality in decision making processes.
Research questions have been designed to determine the impact that bioenergy service provision could have on different members of society. The research can also identify how different stakeholders can engage more effectively in the decision making process.
Examples of the type of questions being addressed include:
• Bioenergy technology, processes and appliances: What are the trade-offs in price, land-use, food, water, and time for different members of the community? What influences the choice of different household members? How can these choices be understood and translated into reality at the local level?
• Access to bioenergy: Which models include the most vulnerable and marginalised? What is the impact of decentralised energy service provision on different members of society? How can all sections of the community be involved in the decision making process?
• Climate change effect: What are the different livelihood trade-offs for men and women? How can the gender issues be communicated to policy makers at local, national and global levels?
Publications
• Gender and Equity in Bioenergy Access and Delivery in Kenya, April 2008: A comprehensive assessment of gender as it relates to bioenergy access, delivery, supply, and production. Policy dimensions and other issues are also considered.
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