Muhammad Yunus (founder)

g_shakti@grameen.com

Grameen Bank

In Bangladesh, Grameen Shakti has been actively working on Eco-Village Development (EVD) in three villages and also advocating EVD solutions in discussions of national energy and climate strategies. In this connection, Grameen Shakti has installed 1.7 million solar home systems, constructed 32,000 biogas plants, and one million improved cook stoves throughout Bangladesh during the last few years. The Eco-Village Development concept combines a number of solutions for poverty reduction within sustainable energy, water management, agriculture, gardening and housing. The solutions have all proven successful individually, but together they can provide the energy and resources needed for a development out of poverty for rural villages with minimal greenhouse emissions giving a prosperous vision for the future for rural areas. Individually the solutions can provide e.g. a cleaner cooking atmosphere, light or better gardening amongst others. Together they can fulfill basic needs and provide energy and resources for increased income generation. Furthermore, with the focus on local solutions EVD does not generate dependency on central supplies of e.g. electricity and fossil fuels where the supply is too often erratic and costly. EVD is more than a collection of sustainable solutions, as it includes installation of the right solutions for each area and village, according to the climate, livelihood and needs. In addition, it includes the integration of solutions and stepwise development, where the villagers gradually attain the solutions, as they are able to afford them and organize themselves to use them effectively. The solutions are not just technologies; they also include the training and support for permanent use and maintenance, as well as other frameworks such as funding mechanisms in order to have a long-term progression of living standards in a sustainable way. Grameen Shakti is highlighting EVD solutions in villages in the Manikganj District, about 50 km from Dhaka. Each of the villages has unique features in relation to usage of renewable energy technologies, demonstrating access to environmentally friendly energy as well as attaining a better standard of living. In off-grid villages like Khowamuri and Sudhkhira, the focus is on using solar home systems to provide electric power. People are also considering biogas plants and if a community-based biogas plant can be adopted. The village Ashulia is highly focused on biogas-based energy. There are several households in the village that raise cattle and poultry. Owners of the cattle farm sell milk in a nearby market, whereas owners of the poultry farm sell their chickens in large city. Cow-dung from the cattle farm and poultry litter from the poultry farm are used to produce biogas to be used for households as well as for cooking on the farms. The next step is to popularize the usage of bio-slurry as fertilizer. Comprehensive approaches to slurry usage as well as electricity generation from excess gas have been suggested in village discussions. Grameen Shakti has brought agriculture and biogas experts to the village to inform residents about better usage of slurry in the agricultural field and about quality of the slurry as organic fertilizer. Experts are considering introducing solar-based dryers to dehydrate slurry in an effort to obtain a higher, standardized nutrient content. Apart from the Solar Home Systems, Biogas Plants and Improved Cook Stoves the following village EVD solutions have been installed: Solar street light in off-grid Khowamuri village: 4 Solar street lights (20 Wp each) have been set up in the off-grid village Khowamuri for better movement and security. Meanwhile, the Government of Bangladesh has also taken a project to set up solar street light and Solar Home system in the village area under the project “Food for Work and Test Relief”. So, EVD solution is in lined with the country’s development strategies. Solar pump for clean drinking water and lighting in a primary school at Shudhkhira (Bokchor) village A Solar Water Pump for clean drinking water for a school in the village has been installed as it was well known that iron content is very high in the drinking water. Also a Solar System was installed and will run a 1 HP water pump and provide electricity (250 Watt) to the light and the fans in the class rooms. Bamboo cage for slurry-pit of biogas plant in Ashulia (Dermran) village: In the biogas village, the lack of slurry management is very common which is why a bamboo cage for open slurry pit has been adopted. The EVD intervention in Bangladesh has given the opportunity to bring integrated comprehensive sustainable village development to off-grid areas of Bangladesh. EVD model has given the villagers the opportunity to be integrated in the village development which is really a crucial issue in South Asia.