Gender and Renewable Energy: Role of Women, Health, hardship and climate change

1. Gender and Renewable Energy: Role of Women, Health, hardship and climate change Jyoti Parikh Integrated Research and Action for Development New Delhi India 12th December 011

2. IRADe: Profile • Activity Areas • Research projects • Training and capacity building • Policy advocacy • Networking and dissemination • Workshops and conclaves • Focal Areas • Energy systems, policy and pla • poverty and gender • Natural resources and environment management • Infrastructure, industry and institutions • Rural and urban Development • Climate change and Clean Development Mechanism

3. IRADe’s Efforts in Gender • Large scale surveys • Dissemination workshops such as the national consultation workshop and subsequently national paper for India • Policy Advocacy • Planning Commission • CSD • Training and awareness programmes • Newspaper articles by Dr. Jyoti Parikh

4. Work done for Energia • Hardship for women in gathering fuels • UN CSD events • Planning Commission where we held a meeting for mainstreaming gender in energy policy • Gender audit for renewable energy • Gender in Green India Mission

5. Significance of Energy Access for Women Drudgery for women

6. Drudgery in absence of access to fuels Women have to walk every month in the state , spending40 hoursduring 15 trips, each of about 3 hrs to fetch fuels Source: IRADe Survey (Himachal Pradesh)

7. Difference In Responsibilities due to difference in needs and uses

8. Significance of Energy Access for Women Health Impacts

9. Health impacts of Collection of Fuels • Results inbackache (50%),neck ache, headache and bruises every week (80 %) • 19% persons in HP have some symptoms IRADe survey : Himachal Pradesh

10. HEALTH HAZARDS AT EVERY STEP Activity Health Impact Solutions • Search and Collect • Biomass • Walking • Cutting • Bruises • Snake bites • Insect bites • Bringing • fuelwood closer • Plantations • Processing and • Stacking • Bundling • Drying • Allergies • Chapped hands • Biogas • LPG/Kerosene

11. BIO-FUEL CHAIN AND HEALTH Activity Health Impact Solutions • Backache • Headache • Knee pain • Community • transportation, • cycle rickshaws Transportation Of Heavy Loads • Respiratory • Eye diseases • Infant mortality • Adverse • pregnancy • Clean fuels • Superior stoves • Renewable • technologies Cooking

12. Significance of Energy Access for Women Other Key Issues

13. Economic Impacts of lack of energy access • The economic problem of lack of energy access: In Rural India • Nearly 3 billion days are spent in gathering fuels and 700 million days in processing them • About 800 million days are spent due to diseases • Add to these 12 billion days to fetch water and water related diseases

14. Are women willing to use clean fuels and Renewable energy? Example in HP, Shimla Source: IRADe Study

15. Willingness to pay • Willingness To Reduce Kitchen Smoke Source: IRADe Study

16. Gender Audit methodology • Not at all • Partially for women • Both for men and women • Specially for women • Photovoltaic solar • Wind power • Roof top solar • Biogas, solar cookers or improved stoves

17. Gender Role • Beneficiary • Engagement • Decision making • Use of public funds should go to all. • As masons, carpenters, income generation • Ministers, administration, public sector, village level

18. Households Using Different Fuels for Cooking (Households in Thousands) Year 1991, 2001 and 2004-05 Source: Census of India 1991, 2001 and NSSO 2004-05

19. Source: Census of India 1991, 2001 and NSSO 2004-05

20. Number of Households Using Electricity, Year 1991,2001 and 2004-05 Source: Census of India 1991, 2001 and NSSO 2004-05

21. Factors Affecting Use of Clean Cooking Fuel • Probability of use of clean cooking fuels in rural areas of India increases with • Increase in household income • Increase in average education level of the household • Households with greater number of literate females (age group 10-50) • Major occupation is not agriculture • Regular source of income • Probability of use of clean cooking fuels in rural areas of India decreases with • Increase in household size • Agriculture as a major occupation • Size of land holding • Belong to under privileged category (SC/ST/OBC) • Source: Vijay LaxmiPandey and AditiChaubal (2011). “Comprehending household cooking energy choice in rural India”, Biomass and Bio-energy, vol. 35 (11), 4724-31.

22. Materials Used for Roof in India (Households in Thousands) in the Year 2001 Source: Census of India 2001

23. Materials Used for Wall in India (Households in Thousands) in the Year 2001 Source: Census of India 2001

24. Materials Used for Floor in India (Households in Thousands) in the Year 2001 Source: Census of India 2001

25. Comparison of Floor, Roof, Wall and Households in 1991 and 2001 (Households in Thousands) Source: Census of India 1991 and 2001

26. Gender Audit Objective And Study • Objective of the study • To identify and analyze the factors hindering efforts to mainstream gender in energy policies and programs. • To identify and assess gender gaps- mismatch between commitments and implementation. • To work with stakeholders so that gaps are addresses with effective and efficient strategy formulation. Review Of Policy Documents- Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEP) and Programs and schemes of the MNRE.

28. MNRE Policies and Program Village Energy Security Test Project (VESP)- 120 test projects in 10 states. Biogas Activities – provides cooking fuel and manure for rural households ,reduce pressure on forests and drudgery of women and improve in village sanitation. Improved Chulhas (Stoves)- 34 million improved chulhas were supplied wrt to the estimated potential of 120 million in 2001-02. Solar energy and Biofuels- The aspect of biofuels such as Jatropha plantation needed to be studied for earning of carbon credits.

29. Findings and Recommendations Persistent challenges due to lack of gender data, limited impact of energy programs on women, need for inter-ministerial coordination etc. • Link Women’s Empowerment with Energy Development . • Gender Rating for MNRE Programs. • -Gender specific MNRE Programs such as Solar Energy, Biomass Gassifiers, Chulhas Etc. • Reorient Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism to Reflect Gender Concerns. • Departmental Coordination for Energy Security • Operationalize the Cooking Fuel Availability within 1 Km of Rural Habitants

30. Recommendations

31. Gender Role • Beneficiary: of public funds • Engagement: Biogas manufacturing • Solar : lanterns related ownership and business model connections,repairs, • Decision making: village heads, engineers, public sector ,Ministers,

32. Improving access to energy • Bring cooking fuel to rural women within 1km to women who travel more than 1 km How to achieve it • Identify problem districts, blocks and villages • Request women’s suggestions for needed solutions • Women groups can form tree growing cooperatives for fuelwood • These groups can identify land and the species of plants

33. Women’s role as Energy Managers • Biodiesel plantation and extraction • Charcoal and briquette production • Installation of biogas plants • Operating gasifier systems • Upgrade women’s work by reducing drudgery

34. Women are a part of solution • Micro enterprise development for energy • Efficient energy management • Go beyond cooking energy and aim for expansion of livelihood, security and community needs

35. Some Energy related goals • 50% reduction in unelectrified clinics • 50% reduction in unelectrified schools • 50% increase in access to clean fuels • Bringing closer to 1 km

36. How Women’s Groups, NGOs and SHGs can help • Enhance the employment opportunities for women • Promotion of local resources • Provide special trainings to Women • Capacity building and assistance to manage energy programs

37. Market based approach • Paradigm shift from “subsidy mind set” to micro credits and loans. • Set criteria to select area for market based approach - mechanism that can assist women in gaining access to improved energy services to expand livelihood. - Access to credit - Energy for livelihood is more likely to be paid for • The role of Self help groups in providing financial services must be enhanced • Role of financial institutions.

38. Other initiatives by the Govt. • Widen access to rural electrification, including decentralized programs • Continuation of current energy programs • “Fuel, Water, Electricity” should be given political priority over “Fuel, Electricity”

39. “One-third of India’s total energy, is ‘managed’ mostly by women with too little inputs of investment, management or technology (IMT) and no political or administrative backing. These women energy suppliers or “managers” need to be helped without taking this role away from them and instead provide them IMT and improve their lives.” Jyoti Parikh, Business Standard

40. Thank you Contact us Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) C -50, Chhota Singh Block, Asian Games Village Complex, Khelgaon, New Delhi – 110 049 India Telefax: +91 11 26495522 / 23