Improving lives with renewable energies

Lima, Peru, April 1, 2014 (IICA). Due to its unique geography and ecosystem diversity, the Andean region is one of those most affected by climate change. It is a vulnerable region where, in the depths of winter, the intense cold ruins harvests and food is in short supply, undermining the health of the families who live there.

However, increased access to good energy, thanks to innovative technologies based on renewable sources, is improving the living conditions of rural communities, generating economic, environmental and health benefits, and bringing about significant social changes.

These innovations, along with many others that are in the pipeline, are being promoted under the Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP) with the Andean Region of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), financed by Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the video Living better with energy, local government officials, members of civil society and direct and indirect beneficiaries describe their experiences with the use of sustainable energy, access to which is improving the quality of life in rural communities in the Andean Highlands of Ecuador and Peru.

The eloquence of the testimonies is striking. “When we were pregnant, we couldn’t sit down. We used firewood or straw to cook. The firewood soon ran out and the house was full of smoke. What headaches we’d get. My poor head! We’d have to go outside,” explains María Rosa Vega, a member of the Rompe Ingapirca community in Guangaje, Cotopaxi, Ecuador.

She has improved her living conditions by adopting different food preparation practices and thanks to the construction of improved stoves. And that is not all. The residents of Guangaje now use less firewood, which is not only good for the local environment, but has also reduced the frequency of the respiratory infections from which they have long suffered.

The situation is very similar in the rural communities of Peru, where, 3800 meters above sea level, hailstorms can destroy any crop and contribute to the prevalence of influenza, with serious consequences for the nutrition and health of children and the elderly.

“We used to catch the flu all the time. Frost, rain, hail… our babies and we adults would get chest infections in no time at all. Now the house is very warm. The stove is indoors and there is always hot water for washing, even at night,” pointed out Renato Condori, a resident of Chiluyo, in the district of Quiñota, Cusco, Peru.

Furthermore, thanks to the installation of plastic-covered greenhouses with drip irrigation systems, the production of organic fertilizers and the use of plastic-covered extensions to houses to raise the temperature inside, families are improving their diet and adapting better to the climate.

IICA’s EEP program hopes that the glowing testimonies of the residents featured in Living better with energy, will serve as an example and an inspiration for decision makers and other key stakeholders, so that more and more families, communities, and small and medium-sized enterprises come to use clean energy; and so that more families in the Andean region can enjoy better living conditions.

So far, the EEP has co-financed 18 projects (one of which has been completed) in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru that are contributing to the development of a fair, inclusive and sustainable economy and promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation.

For further information: 
oliver.marcelo@iica.int