Swedish involvement in the Smart Villages initiative
Dr Ernst van Groningen of the International Science Programme at Uppsala University discusses how several Swedish partners became involved in the Smart Villages initiative.
Stories
Stories are what make the world and inspire the imagination. We have collected, and continue to add, stories about energy access and rural development around the world, as well as the latest updates and thoughts from our own projects and activities.
The role of the European Academies of Science in Smart Villages
Dr John Holmes discusses the important role of the European Academies of Science in the Smart Villages initiative.
Why rural communities matter
Dr Shailaja Fennell of the Centre for Development Studies (University of Cambridge) discusses why understanding rural communities needs and aspirations are crucial for improving rural development.
Mobile phones increase farmer resilience
A recent article from Uganda reveals that one of the biggest questions facing rural communities around the world is how to build resilience to the increased uncertainty brought about by climate change. Small-scale agriculture is so often based on an unparalleled understanding of the seasons that has been honed over decades through an intimate relationship …
“Lifi” – a breakthrough technology for off-grid villages
Prof Sir Colin Humphries, an expert at Cambridge University, discusses the great potential of ‘lifi’ for the developing world. As an alternative to wifi, which requires a lot of energy, lifi could bring internet access at a lower cost and use less energy. Timeline: approximately 5 years.
Cambridge workshop report: New technologies for off-grid villages: a look ahead
15 January 2014 The purpose of the workshop was to introduce the Cambridge Smart Villages Initiative (SVI) and bring together leading researchers in the UK to discuss the current landscape of energy production, use and efficiency in rural communities in developing countries, as well as scientific developments and technologies that might be influential over the …
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“To give people electricity, to me, is like giving them medicine”
The Africa-EU Energy Partnership recently held its Second High Level Meeting and, according to SciDev.net (“Africa awaits an energy revolution”), the discussions in the corridors are focusing on off-grid energy, a welcome development. Coordination and partnerships were chief concerns among industry leaders and policymakers alike. Bringing energy to rural areas of developing can have positive impacts on …
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Woman farmer: Land ownership in Africa “the preserve of men”
On the surface, the facts are startling. According to Farming First, a coalition of farmers, engineers, scientists and industry, women[lightbox full=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaiban/6866495548/”][/lightbox] constitute up to 80% of Africa’s smallholder farmers and are produce around 90% of its food. Key issues in the northern Ugandan context, the focus of the article published by Thomson Reuters Foundation, relate to issues of …
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Innovative off-grid engineering in motion
A recent article in the Guardian (“Bright ideas for the developing world: cheaper, superior lighting design“) has highlighted the emerging realization that technology works best when suited to the local context and more often than not, it is the innovative end- user in developing countries who ingeniously adapts off-the-shelf technology. This understanding has transformed the efforts of simple …