Projects
Biofuels Development Jamaica
In the late 2000s, Jamaica faced serious challenges in its energy and sugar cane sectors. The country depended heavily on imported liquid fossil fuels for its energy needs, and sugar cane revenues were falling dramatically. By developing the sugarcane biofuel market, the Biofuels Development Jamaica project aimed to reinvigorate the sugar cane industry by driving…
Kenya Smallholder Solar Irrigation Project (KSSI)
In rural Kenya, solar water pumps (SWPs) can help smallholder farmers save on fuel costs, increase acreage, and grow more than one crop a year. However, many farmers don’t know about these benefits or lack credit options to purchase their own SWPs. The USAID-funded Kenya Smallholder Solar Irrigation project (KSSI) works to accelerate commercial sales […]
WASHplus: Healthy Homes and Communities
Improved cookstoves can reduce harmful indoor smoke and save time or money for families through fuel savings. But they are not readily adopted, often because the cookstoves available to families don’t fully meet their needs. To better understand and overcome this problem, the WASHplus project undertook consumer research studies in Bangladesh and Nepal that allowed families…
Capacity Building on Clean and Efficient Cooking Practices
Cooking food is one of life’s most essential tasks. Yet, it can also be deadly. Pollutants from cooking with solid fuels in open fires or rudimentary stoves are estimated to cause 4 million premature deaths a year, while also contributing to global climate change. Inefficient traditional cooking also threatens natural resources. To address these problems, Winrock works…
Energy for All
Millions of people in Nepal have no access to electricity and rely on firewood, kerosene and cow dung for lighting and cooking. The resulting conditions harm human health, are damaging to the environment and make economic development more challenging. To address this, Winrock is working with a range of stakeholders — including the Asian Development…
Liberia Food and Enterprise Development
Encouraging private enterprise in Liberia’s agriculture sector is critical if the country is to lower its high rates of unemployment and poverty. Progress will require extensive changes — everything from bolstering the country’s road infrastructure and weak institutions to promoting the importance of women and youth in agriculture. As a partner on this USAID-funded program,…
Capacity for Indonesian Reduction of Carbon in Land Use and Energy
Indonesia has become the largest palm oil producer in the world, making the industry a vital cog in the nation’s economy. Additional economic and environmental benefits are possible if the liquid waste generated during the palm oil production process is used to make renewable biogas. The USAID-funded Capacity for Indonesian Reduction of Carbon in Land…
Colombia Clean Energy Program
The vast majority of Colombia’s citizens are connected to the power grid and receive electricity from low-emissions sources like hydropower and natural gas. That’s a good thing. Unfortunately, many people in rural areas have no access to electricity or have to rely on dirty and expensive diesel generators. This program helps expand renewable energy and…
