Farm Radio Weekly

For its innovative practices in promoting solar fruit drying, Uganda’s Fruits of the Nile became one of only seven finalists from Africa, Asia, and Latin America for this year’s Ashden Awards. Sometimes known as the “global green energy awards,” the Ashen Awards celebrate low-tech energy projects. Sarah Butler-Sloss, founder and chair of the awards, had this to say about the finalists: “[They] show how providing communities and individuals with appropriate forms of sustainable energy can transform their lives and lift them out of poverty, while at the same time reducing carbon emissions.”
Two other African organizations were honoured as finalists for their work with cookstoves. The Gaia Association of Ethiopia provided ethanol-burning stoves to 1,780 refugee families who have fled Somalia and are living in camps in Ethiopia. Ethanol for the stoves is produced from locally available molasses, a sugar by-product. In this case, the use of ethanol eliminates the need for women to spend long hours collecting firewood, a practice that puts the women at risk of physical attack, and causes deforestation. The Kisangani Smith Group of Tanzania, meanwhile, developed two types of fuel-efficient stoves. One replaces the widespread use of charcoal by burning sawdust, a waste product that is readily available in the Njombe region of Tanzania. The other is an improved wood-burner designed for rural residents.

You can find out more about this year’s finalists and previous winners at the Ashden Awards’ website: http://www.ashdenawards.org/.
To find out more about Fruits of the Nile and Tropical Wholefoods (its parent company, which began in Uganda), visit: http://www.tropicalwholefoods.co.uk/.

You may also wish to review these Farm Radio International scripts, which discuss other kinds of solar drying techniques and alternative cookstoves:
-“Three fishing ladies with a message about solar dryers” (Package 79, Script 6, November 2006)
-“An alternative fuel source: Make charcoal briquettes from banana peels” (Package 76, Script 5, October 2005)
-“Improved cookstoves make life easier for women” (Package 73, Script 2, January 2005)

Finally, you may wish to research a story about alternative energy sources used in your broadcast area:
-What alternatives to traditional wood burning stoves do people use to cook food?
-What alternative power sources are used to prepare fruits and vegetables for storage?
-Have there been any initiatives to transform waste products from agriculture or other industries into fuel?
-Have any local businesses developed new technologies to make use of alternative energy sources?

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