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Project Record

Objectives:

The purpose of this project is to increase available knowledge and understanding of policy relevant trade-offs between energy, food and water security for livelihoods in relation to bioenergy.

Objectives:
Development of policy relevant frameworks on bioenergy supported by comprehensive data, analysis and stakeholder participation.

Sustainable pilot projects running action inquiry research and demonstrations operating in three countries.

Research outcomes are taken up in policy, regulations, standards and practice in each country.

Background:

The idea behind PISCES is that the security of livelihoods is contingent upon the interdependence of energy, water and food security - and that Bioenergy is the pivotal issue at the intersection of these three factors. Millions still rely on bioenergy in the form of wood for basic energy services, often depleting forestry resources, contributing to the deterioration of watersheds, and promoting desertification. There is also increasing global interest and activity in the growing of energy crops to act as modern biofuels, stimulated by increasing prices, tightening access to fossil oil supplies, and the impact of climate change requiring mitigation and adaptation to these changes.

While increased cultivation of energy crops could provide increased energy access for the poor, without appropriate policies in place it could also pass them by. At the macro-level, bioenergy could increase global energy supplies without increasing carbon emissions; at the local level it could absorb vital water supplies and fertile land needed to cultivate food. Tradeoffs are inevitable for an increase in bioenergy provision and need to be understood and appropriately regulated and incentivised in policy if the promise of bioenergy is to be realised in meeting the energy security needs of the poor, without compromising their already limited access to water and food security.

The goal of this project are threefold; one is to contribute to widely transferable knowledge and understanding of bioenergy, two to show demonstrable policy change in the target countries of the project; and three maximize the contribution of bioenergy to clean energy access and livelihoods. PISCES is 5-year RCP running from 2007 to 2012 with the lead institution being African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) and lead partners includes University of Dar es Salaam, Practical Action, University of Edinburgh, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and University of Edinburgh. The project is implemented in India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

Progress and Impact:

PISCES Policy Working Groups (PWGs) have been established with encouraging engagement in Kenya and Sri Lanka. In Kenya PISCES is actively involved the national initiatives to develop the national strategy paper for both biodiesel and bioethanol. The impact on policies is not yet clear and the process has yet to get well underway in Tanzania and India.

PISCES RPC expert working groups have been established. Policy makers and practitioners have engaged with the groups.

Research is under way into small-scale gasification and ethanol microdistillation technologies & delivery models. PISCES is a member of the National Biodiesel Research Working Group, Natinal Biodiesel Committee and Bioethanol Strategy Working Group. Research outcomes are taken up in policy, regulations, standards and practice in each country.

PISCES has produced two policy briefs which are in their last stage of publication.

A number of training courses have been conducted to build capacity of lead partners and collaborators. Training courses have been conducted on topics such as Research in to Use and Market Mapping Approach.

A number of PhDs and Masters students training are going on both at Edinburgh and University of Dar es Salaam.

Bioenergy resources, needs and environmental impacts surveys have been completed in India.

Through a collaborative initiative with the FAO, PISCES have conducted Bioenergy and Livelihoods Case Studies in 12 countries covering South America, South East Asia and African countries.

PISCES team have future in several National and International Bioenergy Conferences.