Farmers adopt biogas to protect environment, relieve burden of household chores

Hello, dear listener! Welcome to today’s program, where we discuss the benefits of biogas technology for farmers and the environment. We will also address how farmers can overcome the high costs of biogas infrastructure.

Today’s program focuses on Rwenjojo Township in Karagwe District, northwestern Tanzania. Biogas promotion in this region aims to reduce the reliance on firewood and charcoal, particularly among women. This shift also contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing the use of wood and other forest materials. While reducing the heavy burden of unpaid domestic work that many women face daily.

We have four guests with us today:

Alfredina Philipo, a housewife and biogas user from Karagwe District. And Philipo Peter, Alfredina’s husband and a biogas champion.

To discuss today’s topic, we will also speak to Daudi Manongi, who is a biodiversity conservation expert from the Tanzania Alliance for Biodiversity (TABIO). And, finally, Adam Bitakwate, a bioelectricity expert and manager of the renewable energy division in MAVUNO Project.

Please stay tuned for an informative session. My name is ____.

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Cow’s moo.

I’m here in Rwenjojo Township at the home of Mr. Philipo and Mrs. Alfredina. They have two children. It’s about 7 p.m. now and Mrs. Alfredina is busy mixing organic materials and fresh cow dung, ready to replenish the biogas plants while her husband collects more organic waste such as kitchen remains, plant residues, and other biodegradable materials.

Most biogas plants are designed in a way that requires the digester to be refilled every day. The digester is refilled to help break down waste and make more gas, thanks to tiny microbes inside. The digester is constructed in a way that allows it to separate gases from other substances. Normally the gases are reserved in the upper part of the digester, which later on flammable gases, mainly methane and oxygen gases, are channeled to the pipes and transported to the gas burner or stove — ready to be used for cooking, heating and lighting. This is the biogas system and how it works.

We start with Mrs. Philipo. Please tell our listeners, what is biogas?

This is a system that is specially made to produce the gas that we use for cooking.

We use a mixture of biodegradable waste that is found in our environment. This includes food scraps, banana peels, and other crop residues. We pile the waste in a professionally made pit, mixing it with animal manure from cows, chickens, rabbits, goats, and even human excrement. There are three ways to feed our biogas digester: First, by using plants residues and other organic material which we normally collect from our surroundings; secondly, by channelling the human waste from latrine, but this should be done with extra precautions to avoid any use of chemical compound because it might the gas production; and finally, by using cow dung which is also channelled to the collection pit near to the biogas feeding canal.

To help the mixture break down well, we add water when refilling the digester. The gas that comes out is sent through pipes to the kitchen. Right now, we use it for cooking.

Thank you for that great explanation. What did it cost you to set up this biogas system?

It cannot be less than five million Tanzania shillings (5,000,000 TSH, $1,979 US).

Wow, that is not inexpensive. Mr. Philipo, can you tell us a little bit about the process you went through to acquire a biogas plant and install it at your home?

We installed the biogas infrastructure about twelve (12) years ago. The MAVUNO Project was supporting environmental conservation initiatives, focusing on adaptive and alternative energy sources suitable for rural communities across Tanzania. The project helped us with funding for the initial cost for the equipment and its installation. My wife and I sourced local materials like stones and sand to reduce costs. This biogas system has transformed our lives — we now have a modern home, productive banana plantations, and clean energy for cooking and lighting.

What material and equipment do we need to build a biogas system?

The type of biogas plant we chose three main compartments which are: the feeding, the digester, and the overflow for waste removal. The material requirements can be categorized into two segments. First, industrial materials such as pipes, cements, binding wires, wire mesh, nails, connectors, gas stove, waterproof cement, and limestone. The second category is earth materials such as sand, and gravel.

The construction of the biogas system is like the construction of water tanks. Other raw materials required include sand, bricks, and pebbles found in our neighbourhood.

Larger biogas systems will of course require more materials, but they also produce more gas. So, the size usually depends on the household’s needs and their ability to pay.

Thank you, Mr. Philipo. I am turning to you, Mrs. Philipo: Why is biogas important for women like yourself?

Thank you! Biogas has made cooking much easier for me. Cooking now takes only thirty (30) minutes compared to over four hours before, when using firewood. This allows me to manage my time better. Previously, I had to walk five kilometres with my children to collect firewood, which left them with little time to study. Now, my children have more time for school, and I can actively participate in community activities without being late.

It sounds like it has enhanced your family’s well-being and efficiency.

Yes, it has reduced the burden of unpaid workload for our family members, allowing me to focus on other tasks. And our children have more time to study. Biogas has brought solidarity, peace and happiness to our home.

Have you been spreading the word of this technology to your neighbours? What benefits do you often outline to them? How many followed your footsteps?

Many people have been visiting us to learn about biogas. This is a positive result for us.

We have told them about how it has reduced the burden of cooking, and how we have improved our fields and vegetable gardens using bio-slurry as a fertilizer. This is a by-product that is produced by the biogas plants— it is purely organic and useful as fertilizer but also as a biopesticide repellent to some pests. Using bio–slurry helps us and the community improve our nutrition. Biogas also means less need for firewood, which protects our forests. The more people are willing to learn about biogas technology, the more we are encouraged to expand it further to more farmers.

You said you received support from the MAVUNO project to adopt biogas. Can you share what led them to choose your household for this support?

Because climate change affects Tanzania in general and particularly Karagwe and Kyerwa districts. MAVUNO project informed us about this technology and its benefits in reducing the use of firewood and increasing the use of clean energy for cooking, which is friendly to the environment and the health of farmers.

I understand that not all farmers are using biogas. What limits the adoption of this technology?

The cost for installing a biogas plant is too high for many families. For example, our plant cost over five million Tanzanian shillings (5, 000, 0000 TSH, $1,979 US), a price most villagers cannot afford. Additionally, many people lack awareness of biogas technology. If the government could subsidize materials and provide more training, I believe biogas use would increase significantly.

To you, Mr. Philipo. Without MAVUNO project’s support, how feasible would it have been to adopt biogas?

It would have been very difficult due to the high costs and the lack of technical skills. The total cost is like building a house, which is beyond the reach of most villagers.

Based on your experience, what support do you need to overcome the challenges?

We need the government and the other stakeholders to provide more training on how to make cost effective biogas plants for citizens. But non-governmental organizations also need to allocate budgets in renewable energy projects, including biogas.

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Let’s now turn to our biodiversity expert, Daudi Manongi, who works for the Tanzania Alliance for Biodiversity. Mr. Manongi, why should communities opt for biogas technology?

Thank you. Biogas offers multiple benefits. It helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improves waste management, and provides clean energy for cooking. Using biogas also reduces reliance on firewood and charcoal, which means fewer trees are cut down, protecting our forests and biodiversity. This also helps to reduce the effects of climate change and pollution from burning firewood or charcoal.

The by-product of biogas production, called bio-slurry fertilizer, is rich in nutrients and an organic fertilizer. It improves soil fertility, which leads to better agricultural yields. This is especially important for small-scale farmers who depend on the land for their livelihoods.

The biogas system produces cooking energy, but this can also be used as electrical energy. It has many advantages in daily use and burns cleanly, avoiding health problems seen as a result of smoky fires. Therefore, it is clean energy to use. This gas cooks food quickly, so it is a way to save a lot of cooking time.

It’s easy for anyone to use – women, children, and men. The biggest thing is that this energy is safe.

You mention many benefits. Why have so many people not used this technology, and how can that be addressed?

One major barrier is the initial cost for the installation of a biogas plant, which can be high for most households. Another challenge is the lack of technical expertise in rural areas to construct and maintain biogas systems. To address this, we need government support, subsidies, and training programs to make biogas more accessible and affordable.

Thank you, Mr. Mangongi, for your insights.

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Now we speak to Adam Bitakwate, a bioelectricity expert from MAVUNO Project. Mr. Bitakwate, can you tell us about your project promoting biogas?

Thank you. Because of climate change witnessed in many countries, including Tanzania, we decided to support farmers by providing alternative energy that substitutes firewood and charcoal. As a result, conserving the environment and mitigating the impact of climate change. We all know smoke contributes to greenhouse gases emission, and smoke pollution is also dangerous to human health. Alfredina Philipo is one of the seven beneficiaries funded by the MAVUNO project, who’ve gotten a biogas plant as a demonstration to community members. Also, two schools have installed biogas plants.

What challenges have been identified and how did you find a solution?

This technology requires a lot of money. That’s why we started with a few families. We wanted to reach more families, but the financial capacity was limited. For example, a system with a capacity of nine thousand (9,000) liters can cost three million to five million shillings ($993.62 – $1,192.35 US) depending on the cost of transporting and availability of the construction materials.

Another challenge is the lack of special experts to build these systems and then maintain them.

We, non-governmental institutions, donors, and our other development stakeholders are increasingly finding solutions to these challenges. Due to the great benefits of the use of biogas for the community, we continue financial resources mobilization to scale up and spread the adoption of the technology, through learning from farmers who have already adopted this technology.

Also, since this system needs constant feeding, we have found that the sustainability of this project in the family depends on the strength and willingness of the entire family to feed the plant instead of one person. Families in which only one person is involved, when he leaves home, it becomes a challenge. So, it takes the enthusiasm of the whole family to solve this challenge.

Is this project continuing? Will more people benefit from your support to adopt biogas?

Through this pilot MAVUNO project, we aimed to assess if the farmer would be able to afford it. For the survey, we asked several questions, to mention a few; Will the availability of these plants be easy and affordable for everyone in the community? Will technicians be readily available when we need them? The results of these tests show great efficiency.

As a result, our strategic plan for 2023 to 2027 focuses on establishing, producing, distributing, promoting, and developing both domestic and institutional biogas technology as alternative sustainable energy sources in the Kagera Region. Whereby three hundred and sixty (360) households and forty (40) institutions in Karagwe and Kyerwa District will be supported to access clean energy through biogas systems. To implement this, we need to identify more households and institutional partners and train them. We also need to install these four hundred (400) biogas plants and ensure that everyone understands how biogas works, while raising adequate public awareness towards biogas and its benefits.

We have heard a bit about how the biogas system works and what is required to set it up, but perhaps you can elaborate a little more.

Organic waste is processed in a special way that allows the material to undergo decomposition in the aid of microbes. Some materials produce lactic acid through the process known as fermentation, through which beneficial bacteria microbes process raw materials such as manure, banana plant residues, kitchen scraps, and other rotting decomposed waste found in the farmer’s environment. The organic material is usually heated to about thirty-eight degrees Celsius (38 º C or 100º F), and the anaerobic microbes produce biogas, which is captured in the digester’s air-tight, flexible roof.

Biogas consists mostly of methane and carbon dioxide, plus water vapor, and other trace compounds. In addition to biogas, digesters produce solid and liquid digestate, containing valuable nutrients, like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as organic carbon. Biogas channeled to gas pipeline quality is often called biomethane, or renewable natural gas.

Tell us, who does the installation of this complex system?

An expert designs the biogas system, just like the construction of a water tank. The farmer’s job is to take care of the system as he takes care of a water well. We brought in experts during the construction of these systems and farmers have the duty to maintain these systems. At that time, this work was also done with the help of Engineers Without Borders from Germany, but now we work with local experts.

Where are the equipment and materials sourced?

The industrialized materials are available in hardware stores, and the earth materials can be sourced from the surrounding environment, because both are commonly used in house and water tank construction; therefore, the same materials are used in biogas plant installation.

Are there any precautions you need to take when using this biogas system? Is it dangerous?

During the process, the user should ensure that the raw materials fed to the plant are biodegradable. They should avoid adding in hard objects like stones, plastics, and metals. During cooking, it is better to take safety measures. Do not allow gas to leak into the air before setting the fire. Doing so can cause an explosion because the gas is flammable like other explosives, although the explosion rate in biogas is not as high as that of other explosive gases. Once the user finishes the cooking, they need to switch off the gas valve. The user must also have a fire extinguisher at home in case a fire occurs.

Thank you for explaining this technology, Mr. Bitakwate. And thank you, dear listeners, for tuning in to today’s program on the transformative benefits of biogas. We’ve heard inspiring stories of how it’s changing lives, improving well-being, and protecting our environment. Remember– adopting sustainable energy solutions like biogas is a step toward a healthier, more productive future for all of us. Until next time, goodbye!

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