Best Practices & Innovations (BPI) Initiative
Building Local Organizational Capacity for Agriculture & RuralLivelihoods
Overview
The key innovation of Mercy Corps’ project involves the introduction of a market-based approach toenergy poverty as part of a DRR strategy following Cyclone Nargis. High quality fuel efficient stoves havebeen designed, tested, and commercialized through a network of CSOs. Access to affordable stovesreduces household expenditure on fuel by over US$70 per year, while conserving protective forest landand supporting entrepreneurship.The project has also provided a platform for motivated communitymembers to play a rare active role in civil society, creating an incubator for a new generation of civilleaders and enabling a bottom-up approach to local problem solving.