Strengthening the empirical evidence:
Gender inclusive energy policies
enabling progress towards the SDGs
Productive Uses of Energy and Gender in the
Informal Food Sector
Dr. Nthabi Mohlakoana
University of Twente
Project background
• 4 year project and part of the ENERGIA Gender and
Energy Research Programme funded by DFID (UK)
• Our consortium is one of five and focuses on
Productive Uses of Energy in the Informal Food
Sector – micro enterprises
• Countries: Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa
• Important topic for energy access and use, gender,
policy and regulation, economic development,
employment
• In low income countries, it’s an energy intensive
sector with strong involvement of women
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• What are the impacts of access to MESs on enterprise
development?
• What motivates the adoption of MESs in the energy mix of IFS
entrepreneurs, and what are the underlying gender dynamics?
• Which contextual factors (income sources, culture, political
leadership, policy and regulatory frameworks, institutional
mechanisms and vulnerability) influence the uptake of MESs in the
food preparation and processing value chain?
• What is the relationship between the use of MESs, empowerment,
and survival and growth-oriented enterprises?
Literature review
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Generally, the informal sector’s contribution to employment 2005-2010:
South and South-east Asia: 70%, sub-Saharan Africa: 66% and 58% in Latin
America (Charmes, 2012)
Majority of IFS owners and operators are women – most affected by energy
poverty in this sector (Skutsch and Clancy 2006, UN Energy 2005, UNDP 2011)
All informal food enterprises need energy to survive & operate (Akpan et al.,
2013, ENERGIA, 2011, Meadows et al., 2003, Philips and Bhatia-Panthaka,
2007, UN Millennium Project, 2005, UN-Energy, 2005, Pereira et al., 2010,
Cecelski, 2003, Clancy et al., 2003, Cabraal et al., 2005, Kooijman-van Dijk,
2008) – Cooking, heating, cooling, mechanical power, mobility.
Long term livelihood strategy (7 to 10+ years)
IFS increasingly high role in diets of urban poor (expenditure and calories,
time and convenience)
Low use of electricity and MES in IFS vs. FFS
Energy policy silent on energy in the informal sector and urban planning
policies and by-laws typically hostile to informal businesses
IFS MICRO-ENTERPRISE ENERGY USE
POINTS FROM OUR DATA
• Our study found that micro enterprises use multiple energy sources
• Energy ladder concept as transition does not hold true in this sector
• Energy stacking – movement between traditional and modern energy
- is much more realistic BUT depends on variety of factors.
IFS MICRO-ENTERPRISE ENERGY USE
POINTS FROM OUR DATA
• Factors: location, type of product prepared and sold, type
of structure, affordability, customer preference, quality of
product, ease of use, security of supply, stability of
enterprise, Free Basic Energy
• Some factors are prioritised more than others therefore
will have more influence
• Some household energy is used for the enterprise
• Low use of electricity for thermal needs and MES in IFS but
still important for ‘quick’ needs such as food warming,
water boiling and phone charging
Reasons for wanting to grow
72 of the 94 respondents that indicated wanting to grow were women
• 1 Survivalist growth: fulfilling (daily) needs, paying rent and needs for children, to have a
livelihood
• 2 Developing activities to earn more: developing the activity, (nicer room to) attract more
customers, increase profits, increase daily production, sell more maize
• 3 Investing in new energy equipment: buying a fridge, need oven at home to bake,
establishing a diary unit, getting adequate (cooking) equipment, widening and decorating
the room, microwave
• 4 Expanding with new products or location: training in local juice processing, training in
restauration, formalization, another (more visible) location, another place than my home,
loan to start selling other goods on the market, other products (that clients ask for), more
capital to produce more for market day
• 5 Creating new business: combine canteen with a restaurant, open new restaurant, make
fried potato chips, hotdogs and hire more people, start factory for banana and sorghum
INFLUENCING POLICY…. THE IMPORTANCE OF EVIDENCE ON
CIRCUMSTANCES AND PARTICIPATION OF BENEFICIARIES
THEMSELVES
 Energy policy – economic development policy:
 Energy policy often just develops modern sources like electricity. Thermal
energy of micro-enterprises has more varied needs.
 Support policies for informal food sector have gender component because
(a) it is one of few livelihoods with female majority, (b) women combine
productive tasks with household and children care, but: no difference in
ambition
 Municipal policy and practice:
 Tools to accommodate businesses what they really need: credit, training
 Tax/rentals for use of a space and/or energy can be a stepping stone to
gradual integration in formal (but still domestic) economy
 Money can be used for facilities and (re)location to improve conditions