Household Characteristics and Energy Provision of Rural Households in Central Nepal

Authors

  • Bishnu Pariyar Goatland Group, Rainas – 6, Lamjung, Nepal and School of Geography, University Leeds, United Kingdom, LS2 9JT
  • Bishnu Rijal Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Jon C. Lovett
  • Rozy Bisunke Samata Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Krishna Kumar Shrestha Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/spee1048-5236.4111

Keywords:

Traditional fuel, energy poverty, inequity, rural households, bioenergy, Nepal

Abstract

Access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services is the primary aim of Sustainable Development Goal 7 and underpins other SDGs for improving health and welfare. In keeping with the SDG objectives, national governments and development agencies have been advocating reduction of households’ dependency on traditional sources of energy and encourage the transition to clean energy. Whilst policy interventions for this have had some success, a large proportion of households, especially in the rural areas of developing countries still continue to face energy shortages and lack of access to clean energy continues to be a major developmental challenge. This study investigates the energy use of 295 rural households in three rural villages in central Nepal. Results demonstrate that households continue to depend on traditional sources of energy with limited access to clean energy. Furthermore, access to clean energy amongst households in rural Nepal is determined by households and community socio-economic status. The paper argues that much more needs to be done to enhance households’ access to clean energy and reduce their dependency on traditional sources of energy and the distributional implications of such measures need to be properly considered.

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Author Biographies

Bishnu Pariyar, Goatland Group, Rainas – 6, Lamjung, Nepal and School of Geography, University Leeds, United Kingdom, LS2 9JT

Bishnu Pariyar holds a PhD in Social Policy and Environment from the University of York (UK). He held teaching and research positions at a number of British Universities including York, Leeds and Sheffield. His research interests continue to be associated with the institutional aspects of management of natural resources for integrated development and the distributional aspects of such management practices. He is currently leading “Goatland Agro-Eco-Tourism Venture” working with a multidisciplinary team of agricultural scientists, rural sociologists, economists, farmers and local politicians in Nepal. He can be reached at bpariyar.goatland@gmail.com

Bishnu Rijal, Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Bishnu Rijal obtained his master degree in Botany and Anthropology from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He currently teaches Botany at Budhanilkantha School, the National School of Nepal. His research interests remain within the field of development studies focussing on the management of forest resources and bio-energy for rural development and livelihoods of rural people in Nepal. Environmental and climate justice and their relevance to rural communities remains at the core of his research and teaching practice. He can be reached at bishnurijal311@gmail.com

Jon C. Lovett

Jon C. Lovett is Chair of Global Challenges in the School of Geography, University of Leeds UK. His main interest is natural resource management and he maintains a broad collaborative interdisciplinary environmental research programme. His research focuses on the institutional economics of natural resource management and takes an interdisciplinary approach bringing together both the natural and social sciences. He has worked in many different countries, including Nepal, Tanzania, Uganda, Mexico, Australia and Indonesia. His work on ‘Energy Gardens’ in Nepal was conducted with Dr Bishnu Pariyar and subsequently developed into several major projects on renewable energy in India, Indonesia, Uganda, Tanzania and Congo-Brazzaville. He can be reached at j.lovett@leeds.ac.uk

Rozy Bisunke, Samata Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal

Rozy Bisunke holds a master degree in Sociology and two bachelor degrees in Law, and Sociology and Journalism from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. She is a legal and development practitioner and currently holds a position of a Human Rights and Justice Officer at the SAMATA Foundation, Nepal. Her research interests cover the intersectionality between human rights, natural resource management and climate justice especially in relation to the welfare of the marginal communities such as the Dalits in Nepal. Her research takes a critical feminist approach in dealing with the distributional aspects of development interventions in rural areas. She can be reached at rozy.bisunke@samatafoundation.org

Krishna Kumar Shrestha, Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Krishna Kumar Shrestha, Professor of Botany, is the Former Head of the Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University. He holds Ph.D. degree in Plant Systematics; and Post Doctoral Fellow at the Natural History Museum, London. He had been involved in teaching and research in Plant Systematics, Biodiversity, and Ethnobotany for over 40 years. He has coordinated and associated with 24 research projects; published five books, three edited books, 24 book chapters, and 95 research articles on the issues of biodiversity and ethnobotany. Prof. Shrestha is the Founder President of Ethnobotanical Society of Nepal (ESON), and one of the Editors of Flora of Nepal, an international initiative of the institutions of Nepal, Japan, and U.K. He has also contributed as the Advisory Board Member of Flora of Pan Himalaya, led by the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. He can be reached at kkshrestha123@gmail.com

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Published

2022-02-23

How to Cite

Pariyar, B., Rijal, B., Lovett, J. C., Bisunke, R., & Shrestha, K. K. (2022). Household Characteristics and Energy Provision of Rural Households in Central Nepal. Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment, 41(1), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.13052/spee1048-5236.4111

Issue

2022: Vol 41 Iss 1 2022

Section

Articles