Assessing Rural Energy Needs and Solutions in North-East Tanzania

In Tanzania, planning for bioenergy has received relatively little attention although it accounts for about 90% of the country's energy supply. Due to its complexity and diversity, the sector is plagued by lack of reliable data and information on the supply of bioenergy, its consumption and interaction with social, economic, institutional and environmental factors. In order to address the lack of data and methodology, a two year research project was, in 1995, initiated by the then Tanzania Ministry of Water, Energy and Minerals in collaboration with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI),4 and executed by the Institute of Resource Assessment at the University of Dar es Salaam. The objectives of the research was to develop and test a multi-disciplinary research method for identifying bioenergy options that can contribute to satisfying the energy needs of the rural household, agricultural and small scale industrial sectors, promote growth and facilitate sustainable development. This article describes how the project was carried out and presents the major findings and lessons to be drawn for the future.