Half of the world’s population of six billion people meets its domestic energy demands through energy intensive means. Processes vary from using coal to biomass fuels, dung cakes, crop residues, wood and even LPG or kerosene. The procurement and consumption pattern of these fuels defines the character of everyday life in underdeveloped and developing countries.

In rural areas throughout the world, half of the productive time of women is spent in procurement of firewood for cooking. Illegal and haphazard collection contributes to deforestation and soil erosion, thereby creating unstability to our fragile ecosystem. Worse even, the choking smoke from indoor wood fires causes serious pulmonary diseases. This is suspected to be the leading health hazard in underdeveloped nations and kills four to five million children worldwide annually.

Living in urban areas provides no respite. The urban poor frequently spend a significant fraction of their time and earnings towards procurement and purchase of coal and wood. Combustion of fossil and bio fuels contributes to the hazy pall that hangs over the cities of even developing nations. Carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gasses from cooking fires also foster global warming.

Judging from the present trend in energy use, an "energy crisis" looms large in the near future. With fast depleting fossil fuel reserves, half of a century is only left ahead for adopting alternate means.

The first challenge is to respond now, with an urgency and determination, to the plight of billions of people, mainly in lower income brackets, living in under-developed and developing countries, both the urban and rural poor, who neither have electricity, not have adequate access to any other commercial energy source. In consequence, they have no realistic prospect of breaking out of the vicious circle of poverty and taking the first steps towards development, higher living standards, and reversal of serious local environmental degradation.

The second challenge is that of achieving a path of sustainable development in the long term. This path recognizes the inevitability of world population growth and the imperative of economic development to provide all people with an acceptable quality of life.

The above are fine words but the reality is that today, renewable energy (wind, photovoltaics, biomass etc.) represents less than even one percent of the energy used in developing countries, leave alone the under-developed nations. Unless great efforts are made, this fraction is not envisaged to grow very rapidly.

Bundelkhand region of Central India is one of the most economically backward regions in India. The productivity of resources, land, water and energy is abysmally low, resulting in low returns from agriculture and local industries.

This region consists of nine districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, has a land area of 69,703 sq. km, with a population of 21 million.

Occupation here is predominantly livestock based, with agriculture being practiced at subsistence levels, inspite of the proximity to large water bodies. The lower classes depend on the forest for livelihood, which varies from small-scale seasonal activities like gum selling to a more stable occupation like selling fuel wood. Labour is also a common occupation among the masses that are landless by and large. With a human-livestock ratio as high as 1:2, dung selling is an alternate source of income in villages, which is mainly sold to brick owners practicing energy intensive clamps.

The shelter is heavily dependent on the forest wood, with teak being used in almost all houses. Country tile roofing and locally baked (not fired) bricks is the prevalent building system. Tribals also use plant biomass for walling as well as for roofing purposes. The incidence of flat roofs is almost nil. Not only is timber directly used as members, but it is also used as an energy source in the production of the roofing and walling elements. There is almost no diversity in roofing, a situation atypical to the region, and very little diversity even in walling, indicating the dependence on a very small spectrum of choices, most of which are adversely affecting the forest resources.

The energy sources are largely non-commercial in nature, and unlike other villages in forest prone areas, where deforestation has led to use of non-wood biomass like lantana, the reliance on the forest species is very high amongst the villages in Bundelkhand. Energy is not perceived by the villagers as an issue of crisis as of now, water being of prime importance. All the livelihood activities like `khoya-making' utilize teak and kardhai, in inefficient end use devices, where no attempt is made to improve the fuel economy. The fuel mix is dominated by wood supplemented by dung cakes during monsoon. However, at present, although energy conservation is not a perceived need of the villagers, they are well aware that shortage is imminent.

Development Alternatives, through its Technology Resource Centres at TARAgram, Orchha, Newari and Datia, has been trying to combat these problems through creation of sustainable livelihoods based on local resources and appropriate technological innovations. Employment opportunities have been created through resource generation, leading to more jobs through utilization of local resources. Training in the different activities was found crucial to ensure sustainability of operations. These include cleaner alternative fuels through charring and briquetting technology. While concentrating on developing a pool of human resources, critical linkages have been established with the local institutions, district administration, financial institutions, forest departments. This ensures the requisite support to the trained manpower to transform their capacity into useful jobs and hence livelihood opportunities.

In its continued effort for sustenance of energy based livelihoods, Development Alternatives has carried out market research studies for examining energy usage patterns and energy based livelihoods. It has proposed that technology based products and services have to be presented as an enlarged array of options to the end users and support service providers. The experience of Development Alternatives in implementation of energy efficient Vertical Shaft Brick Kilns for brick-making has demonstrated a high level of support from local communities and the district administration. A beginning has also been made in introducing rural households to domestic level biogas plants and improved cook stoves, implemented through trained local mason groups.

The present need towards providing sustainable livelihood options through energy based initiatives is to address the basic issues of fodder and fuel scarcity and low productivity of land resources. Once the technologies are identified, the appropriation of each of these by the people is crucial. The areas identified are:

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