Combating Bush Encroachment for Namibia's Development (CBEND) The Desert Research Foundation of Namibia was implementing agency of the CBEND project with the Namibia Agricultural Union and the Namibia National Farmers' Union as the implementing partners. The Strategic partners included the Namibian Women's Action Association, the Electricity Control Board (ECB), Nampower, the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Directorate of Forestry within the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. The project was funded over a three year period (October 2007 until September 2010) by the European Union through the National Planning Commission Secretariat of the Government of the Republic of Namibia's Rural Poverty Reduction Program. This proof-of-concept project procured and installed one 0.25 MW bush-to-electricity power generating plant in northern Namibia. Fuel for the power plant is derived from harvested invader bush (with emphasis on bush thinning rather than bush clearing) and electricity produced is supplied to the national grid. The technology considered is wood gasification. Furthermore the project facilitated the establishment of Namibia's first Independent Power Producer with an Electricity Generation License from the ECB and a Power Purchasing Agreement with NamPower.