Final Technical Report, R7660, Extension Processes for Rural Energy
Abstract
The purpose of the project was to assist general extension workers to be aware of the role of energy, and of the potential to incorporate energy into their grassroots work by promoting and adapting tools to specifically explore energy related issues.
Based on 3 key assumptions and a basic hypothesis, the research tested the proposition that skills and awareness of workers facilitating participatory processes depend largely on the training given, which is in turn governed by the remit of their parent organisation. If energy is not included in the training, it is unlikely to be recognised by either extension worker or village as a need.
The project methodology included a review of existing training materials for institutes, a survey of extension workers throughout the world to gain an insight as to how widely participatory processes are used in the field and to determine which tools are commonly used, and workshops with trainers of participatory processes were undertaken in Ghana and India. Resulting from the India workshop the hypothesis was challenged (for India). The revised hypothesis was that the integrated nature of the Indian development sector included energy in its portfolio of responses, and that there were considerable tools and resources on participatory planning that included energy as key examples. The methodology was, therefore, modified to include a component intended to transfer lessons learned from India to Ghana and beyond. A scoping study was undertaken by the Indian Partner TERI, to collect and collate examples of \"participation and energy\" and to present tools that had worked in India. A pilot set of tools and guidelines was developed. This was field tested and refined in Ghana and India. The revised set of tools and guidelines were discussed and disseminated to partners, training institutes and respondents of the survey.
Citation
Final Technical Report, R7660, Extension Processes for Rural Energy, University of Reading, Reading, UK/Gamos Ltd, Reading, UK, 37 pp.
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