Socio-economic Benefits of Energy Initiatives on Rural Households

Energy is an important input for social and economic development. Firewood and other biomass fuels still remain the primary sources of energy for the majority of people in most of the developing countries particularly the poor for cooking heating and their small cottage business. In the last few decades these developing countries have experienced challenges such as rise in population and depletion of natural resources that has resulted in hardships for the people living in rural areas especially women and girls who spend an inordinate amount of time and energy in search of firewood and biofuels and often have to cover long distances. The paper based on a study undertaken in Homa Bay County is focused on identifying the socio-economic benefits of energy initiatives on rural households and how it helps development practitioners to come up with sustainable livelihood programs that will take on board the concerns of the society and incorporate them in their programmes as a means of transforming people’s lives.