The energy situation in developing countries is desperate.Because these countries are primarily dependent on fossil fuels--chiefly oil--for industrial growth, they have been hard hit by oil price increases. Further, in the rural areas, where most of the population lives, there are limited supplies of increasingly expensive diesel fuel or kerosene. Noncormzercial energy sources such as firewood, dung, and agriouZtural residues are generally used in rural areas, but under the pressure of growing populations the forests are disappearing. This is resulting in a critical shortage of firewood for cooking and heating, as well as in the destruction of the environment. In addition, when dung and agricultural residues are burned, valuable fertilizers are destroyed. Thus, the rural areas--the sources of food and fiber--face a particularly alarming situation.

Adequate food supplies and a reasonable quality of life require energy - both in commercial and non-commercial forms. This handbook is intended as a reference for individuals who want a comprehensive overview of energy for agriculture, many of whom are located in remote areas with limited library resources. The purpose is to put energy for agriculture in perspective by presenting numerous national and regional examples of energy usage.Since the early 1970s, world petroleum prices have fluctuated from US$3/barrel to more than US$40/barrel in 1981, and then back to one-third of the peak price today. Consequently, the rural sector depends heavily on non-commercial energy sources. Availability of such energy is highly site-specific. This handbook deals extensively with non-commercial energy - its sources, the technologies for converting energy to more useful gaseous and liquid forms, and its ultimate end-uses.Photographs, tables, line drawings and graphs are used extensively. Over 600 references are listed along with agency names and addresses for obtaining further information.

This volume originated as a report given to the World Bank in 1978 on the household energy consumption of both the urban and rural poor in developing countries. Originally published in 1979, this title supplies alternatives for meeting the domestic energy needs of the poor in developing countries and looks at the results of experiments in introducing new forms of energy. This book is a valuable resource for public policy makers and students interested in environmental studies and developmental studies.

This text aims to be a driving force for an economically sound and sustainable development of developing countries. It looks at the provision of geothermal energy within the framework of sustainable energy development for power generation, rural electrification and so forth.

The Fourth International School on Energetics was held in July 1980 at Erice, Sicily and was devoted to the subject of Energy Demand and Efficient Use. In contrast to the Third School, we chose to concentrate on the demand side of the energy equation. The initial emphasis was on the methodology for determining demand; but it soon became clear that it is necessary to control demand also. All too often energy policy is set by the large industrial nations, or those nations blessed with a plentiful supply of fossil fuels. It seemed to us important to have the views of some repre sentatives from the less developed countries. The manuscripts were collected and ordered by Ms. Diane Rolinski of Harvard University whose work was invaluable. Fernando Amman Richard Wilson Directors of the School The course would not have been possible without the financial support of the Italian Ministry of Public Education, Italian Min istry of Scientific and Technological Research, Italian National Research Council, National Electric Energy Council, National Nuclear Energy Council and Sicilian Regional Government. v CONTENTS Energy Demand Control in Energy Policy . . . . . . . . . . 1 J.M. Martin Energy in Europe: Demand Forecast, Control and Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 H.-F. Wagner Data Collection Methodologies-Introduction . . . . . . . . 99 R. Bending Industry ...

Originally published in 1986, this book provides a detailed examination of programmes to introduce improved charcoal making techniques throughout the developing world. Charcoal making is widely regarded as an extremely wasteful use of scarce wood resources. The book includes a section on the physics and chemistry of charcoal and descriptions of the various traditional methods of charcoal making. Patterns of charcoal supply and distribution are analysed and efforts to introduce improved charcoal making techniques are described and evaluated.