Energy security for rural communities in the developing world : The role of fertigated bamboo fencing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the viability of using bamboo hybrid fencing fertigated with grey water as a means of providing energy to rural communities in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – The paper establishes such returns by developing a decision support system (DSS) model populated with parameters obtained from literature and field data. The DSS allows for a sensitivity analysis that examines the robustness of the hybrid bio-fencing under varying scenarios and the interactions among species, management, and technological variables. Findings – Critical variables identified include the technological efficiency, number of clumps per m2 planted and the influence of grey water on growth rates. Practical implications – In the developing countries, uncertainty abounds in rural “green” interventions. Such uncertainties can be quite problematic especially for marginal communities. This research provides developmental agents with the ability to derive specific economic and environmental returns by making decisions related to species type, managerial methods, grey water treatment and energy conversion technologies. The hybrid fencing provides villagers with security without depleting scarce resources for brick and mortar (“pukka”) walls. Furthermore, the hybrid bio-fencing provides significant positive energy and financial returns. Originality/value – The research demonstrates how green ventures can be audited across multiple dimensions of sustainability including economic, environmental and energy. The DSS developed here is a powerful tool as it not only provides an energy audit, but also simultaneously displays economic returns.