Rasna Sherchan, a Master of Environment and Business student, was recently invited to present her independent research work at the Symposium on Sustainability & Human Rights hosted by Fulbright Canada and Concordia University in Montreal.
She was part of a panel on Women’s Issues in Human Rights & Development where she shared results from a report she completed for the NGO Integrated Development Society. The NGO implemented a bio-briquette project in South Asia and her job was to determine impacts and gather community views about the project post-completion.
The Bio-briquette project is associated with utilizing invasive species of plant, churning, mixing and moulding them with clay, and using it as an alternative source of energy to cook food and heat rooms.
Interestingly, Sherchan hadn't intended to present at the conference. She called to register as an attendee and found herself speaking to Fulbright Visiting Scholar, and Symposium organizer, Carol Gray who inquired about her studies. Minutes later, Sherchan was asked to submit her research, which was subsequently nominated and selected to present.
More about the research
Left: bio-briquette press. Right: Rasna Sherchan holding two briquettes.
Sherchan's research revealed positive economic, social and environmental impacts:
- Economic: women composed more than half of the agricultural workforce, social expectations to follow traditional roles limited opportunity for women but the project had helped employ and earn extra cash. Women expressed happiness in becoming more independent and having to rely less on their husbands.
- Social/Behavioural: since the inception of this project, women had gained more self-confidence as they were now able to form meetings, discuss issues, and include opinions. Some even admitted they had learnt how to write their names from their school-going children as it was important for book-keeping. As opposed to firewood that produces black smoke, this alternative energy source was much cleaner and beneficial to infant and elderly health.
- Environmental: As women are the ones who collect food, fodder and fuel wood, they become the first victim of forest degradation. The production of bio-briquette had significantly minimized women drudgery.
Her recommendations: there is need to conduct training sessions on sustainable harvesting of the forest weed, one or few households must be encouraged to take up bio-briquette production as a business (private entrepreneurship model), sometimes demand from neighbouring city exceeds supply and expectations cannot be met due to lack of manpower & available resources- at such times understanding is required.