China, UN launch "Green" project to alleviate poverty

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http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/chinawatch/story?id=46824


China, UN Launch "Green" Project to Alleviate Poverty
by Ling Li, Worldwatch Institute
In November, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in cooperation with China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges under the Ministry of Commerce, initiated a four-year project on "Green Poverty Reduction in China."

Unlike earlier projects, however, this new one aims to use a participatory model for poverty reduction, relying on green technology, developing renewable energy through local sources, and directly involving farmers while encouraging them to realize their rights to become better off -- all of which aim to promote development in the region.

The project aims to use environmentally friendly technologies to help poorer residents of five western provinces boost their livelihoods, gain access to energy services, and protect fragile local ecosystems. The total budget for the project is estimated at nearly US$8.6 million, with some US$2.3 million provided by UNDP and the rest funded by MOST and local governments, according to China Daily.

The project includes three distinct initiatives and gives priority to ethnic minority communities living in mountainous and remote areas of Guizhou, Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Yunnan provinces and Inner Mongolia. Farmers living along the high-altitude border of Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces, for example, will learn how to cultivate the oil-rich seeds of Jatropha curcas, a wild tree commonly used as a hedge, to produce biodiesel and create a new energy market. After the oil is extracted, the jatropha seed cake is also rich in nutrients that are essential to the fertility of the soil; therefore, large-scale cultivation of the tree can both provide a sustainable energy source and prevent soil erosion and desertification of local farmland.

According to project coordinator Yunsong Xu, the goal is to expand the current area of nearly 27,000 hectares of jatropha trees to more than 270,000 hectares by 2012, boosting local household incomes by an estimated 500-700 yuan (US$64-89) annually. The project will also set up associations to coordinate local farmers and create new enterprises to explore the market potential for renewable energy, Xinhua News reported.