[{"bbox": [97, 152, 1164, 260], "category": "Text", "text": "Another critical issue for rural areas is **access to energy in general and to electricity in particular**. Zimbabwe is well endowed with a wide range of energy sources including hydropower, coal, wood fuels and renewable sources. However, its potential is not fully developed and there is an **energy deficit** in the country, which is much more pronounced in rural areas."}, {"bbox": [97, 284, 1164, 392], "category": "Text", "text": "Zimbabwe's energy needs are much greater than installed capacity - 2300MW - can cover. Wood fuel accounts for over 61% of total national energy consumption. In rural areas, 94% of cooking energy requirements is from wood fuels, mainly firewood, and in the urban areas, 20% wood fuel for cooking. However, most of the rural areas are facing a wood fuel shortage due to the clearing of land for agriculture and unsustainable firewood harvesting."}, {"bbox": [97, 417, 1164, 655], "category": "Text", "text": "**Zimbabwe's electricity penetration rate of 40%** leaves a great part of the country's population in the dark. Access to electricity currently stands at about 40% (78% urban and 16% rural) affecting directly the access to clean water, storage of food, internet connection, phone communication and other essential services. A majority - i.e., 73% - of urban households use electricity for cooking compared to only 6% of rural households. Zimbabwe's Renewable Energy Policy (NREP) aims to build the country's renewable energy capacity of 1,100 to 2,100 MW between 2025 and 2030 or 16.5 to 26.5% of the total generation from renewable energy sources. The renewable energy sources are solar, small-scale hydro, wind, geothermal and biomass which includes bagasse (sugarcane based), agricultural waste, energy crops, sawmill waste, biogas and forestry waste. Large hydropower potential exists mainly along water courses and in land dams."}, {"bbox": [97, 683, 1164, 738], "category": "Text", "text": "Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:"}, {"bbox": [134, 763, 1164, 896], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Development.** Its mission is to promote and sustain a viable agriculture sector in a changing climate. It receives the biggest allocation in the National Budget and it is the key player in rural areas. Despite its abundant resources it is not capable to address the numerous challenges and it requires support from international donors. It will be lead by the future Resilience Platform to coordinate resilience actions in the country."}, {"bbox": [134, 896, 1164, 1029], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.** Its mission is to manage, conserve and promote the sustainable use of natural resources and facilitate the delivery of high quality tourism products that contribute to the economic development of Zimbabwe. With growing importance in the country, it has benefitted from technical assistance from the EU at the governance and policy level in the past. It is the key player for natural resources management although with limited budget."}, {"bbox": [134, 1029, 1164, 1161], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development.** Its mission is to formulate and implement policies and programmes for women's empowerment, gender equality, resilient communities, MSMEs, and cooperatives' development. Concerning its mandate in climate change policies, it supervises the increase of gender responsiveness of the environment and natural resources management strategies and in climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives."}, {"bbox": [134, 1161, 1164, 1347], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Environmental Management Agency, Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) and the Forestry Commission.** These three parastatals entities, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Environment, have specific responsibilities in the environmental sector, from policy formulation to direct management. The three parastatals count with a good number of professionals but the financial situation is critical as the funds received from the budget are minimal, not enough to cover their minimal expenses. They are mandated to be self-sustainable from the financial point of view but this is not happening yet and external support is essential."}, {"bbox": [134, 1347, 1164, 1478], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Rural District Councils (RDC):** the 60 RDC are mandated to provide social services (health and education), infrastructure development, provision of all-weather trafficable roads, and maintenance of existing roads, environmental management, spatial planning and development control within its area of jurisdiction. The action will target 7 RDC. RDC are usually underfunded considering their mandates. RDCs are key partners for interventions in rural areas."}, {"bbox": [134, 1478, 1164, 1610], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Gonarezhou and Matusadona Conservation Trusts.** These two entities are formed by Frankfurt Zoological Society and Zimparks for Gonarezhou National Park and African Parks and Zimparks for Matusadona National Park for long term co-management of these areas. Well-funded, they don't usually require financial support for their actions within the protected areas. They usually request support for actions with the communities at the border of the areas, out of their mandate."}, {"bbox": [1027, 1681, 1142, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 10 of 31"}]