Title

Asia Regional Solar Cooking and Food Processing Workshop

Summary

Background

Time has shown a global challenge to improve our life environment-friendly matched with the nature by changing values, adopting best practices on renewable energies and sharing or transferring renewable energy technologies to build a more sustainable world. More than one billion people suffer due to shortages of cooking fuels and half of the population live in abundant sunny areas where they can use solar energy for cooking, food processing and for many other alternative uses. Solar cooking has grown rapidly during the last decades. Now, there are more and more projects and many organizations are working hard towards promoting solar cooking all over the world, particularly in developing countries and it is time again to come together to move forward. Asia Region has led the world in developing and promoting solar cookers earlier and more widely than in any other regions and now proposes to lead the way in networking to strengthen our efforts.

Formation of Solar Cooking Regional Network

The International Conference on Solar Cooking and Food Processing in Granada, Spain (July 12 to 16, 2006) created four regional networks and seven collective action groups in Asia, Ibero/Latin America, Africa, and Europe/non-Latin Americas. One of the important outcomes of the meeting in Granada was the selection of Nepal to host a first Asian Regional Workshop on Solar Cooking and Food Processing in April 2007. The Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) of the Nepal Government, Centre for Rural Technology (CRT/N) and Foundation for Sustainable Technologies (FoST), and Solar Cookers International Association are proud to co-sponsor and co-host this historical event on Solar Cooking and Food Processing in Kathmandu, Nepal. CRT/N will serve as its Secretariat.

Objectives of the Workshop:

1. To promote solar cooking and food processing in the Asian Region

2. To share best practices on solar cooking and food processing from the international, regional and national community of solar cookers promoters and practices

3. To demonstrate various technologies developed in the region and facilitate its promotion and transfer

4. To promote solar cooking and food processing for enterprise development, health improvement, energy and environment conservation, and

5. Formation of Asia Regional Network for Solar Coking and Food Processing

6. Explore future information-exchange and other collaborations to address common barriers.

Outcome of the Workshop:

Kathmandu Resolution

Place

Kathmandu, Nepal

Start Date

16/04/2007

End Date

17/04/2007