Projects

Projects: Projects for Investigator

1. develop a relevant conceptual framework - by organizing a South-South-North participatory planning meeting to refine a conceptual framewo rk with clear evidence of demand, indicators of success and monitoring, reporting and verification processes. A participatory process in Southern partner countries prior to a three day planning meeting will refine the legitimacy of objectives and indicators of success along with research inputs.;
2. establish sound technological and economic projections as a baseline for promoting impact - by gathering evidence on the technological and economic projections for biomass energy in order to identify where impacts on poverty and ecosystem services are likely to be greatest (both positive and negative). For example, we will collate agro-ecological and socio-economic data from India, Kenya and Malawi looking at both domestic biomass energy options for cooking, heat and even electricity ge nera ti on and industrial opportunities for gaseous, liquid fuels and electricity generation;
3. develop research plans, analysis tools and procedures - by identifying and drawing together leadership teams that will explore together how to quantify and assess possible transitions towards greater biomass energy use - and how to use results to optimize impacts on poverty and ecosystem ser vi c es. This will be done in India, Kenya and Malawi, chosen on account of current energy-forest pressure, experience of approaches to address this, and the desire for geographical spread to improve relevance of findings. A sufficient range of disciplinary expertise will join in specific partnerships to model biomass crop dynamics and assess different impact categories such as: multi-faceted povert y, carbon sequestration, biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, watershed dynamics and flows, landscape beauty;
4. identify in partner countries specific political change agents, communications strategies and impact plans - by working with visiting researchers from India, Kenya and Malawi to understand not only the scale of biomass use, but also the social and political economy of decision m aking in particular contexts and the pathways by which a transition towards biomass energy provision could occur that contributes most to poverty reduction and ecosystem services;
5. evaluate innovative business and value chain models to test transition options towards increase biomass energy use - by collecting data, employing analytical tools and developingconceptual optimization models to evaluate in India, Kenya and Malawi the structures that govern, or might govern, woody biomass energy. We will consider quantitative models for bioenegy crops to improve yields and reduce food competition, community dynamics in biomass production, best-bet business models and a range of policy incentives.
6. develop a full ESPA proposal with a strategy tofill knowledge and capacity ga ps - by working together in an equitable North-South-South partnership that involves appropriate appropriate mentorship, training and other strategies to build capacity-through-involvement. The ultimate end-point will be clear policy recommendations about which transition pathways should be pursued in search of poverty reduction and conserved ecosystem services.