Biogas Production Project, Lomwe (TAN/97/03)
Project Details & Results
The school use over 700m3 of woodfuel every year. Interpreted in terms of trees felled, it is obvious that the school's contribution to the scale of deforestation is quite high. The proposed project would not only arrrest this trend of environmental degradation but it will help to popularize biogas technology as a nature friendly source of energy to the community around the school. Biogas plants are run by cow dung, night soil and water. This implies that they are easy to operate and maintain and therefore have longer production life. The main objective is to promote through schools the use of biogas as an alternative environment friendly source of energy.
Notable Community Participation
(1) Participation by school community in the installation work
(2) Participation by the general public in learning on how the technology works.
Capacity - Building Component
School technicians and students were taught how to install, operate and maintain biogas units
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
(1) use of biogas in Public Institutions like schools help to reduce pressure for fuelwood on natural forests;
(2) Effluent from biogas production process help to promote sustainable agriculture.
Gender Focus
Biogas plants help to reduce workload for man and women
Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples who depend on natural forests participated by learning the biogas technology with the view to adopting the household version of it.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
Project helped to promote public awareness on the need to use biogas in order to preserve natural forests and to reduce GHG emmission levels.
Policy Impact
Project provided positive policy feedback that use of biogas is feasible at household level as well as institutional level.
Inovative Financial Mechanisms
Project was jointly supported by SGP and the Secondary School. The joint financing helped to create partnership between SGP and the school in wide dissemination of biogas technology.
Project Results
- Project demonstrated that it is possible for an Institution like a Secondary School with over 500 students to cook on biogas.
- Project provided policy feedback to the effect that biogas could succesfully substitute fuelwood as a key source of energy for households as well as Institutions, which is in line with the National energy policy that advocates for wide adoption of non-fuelwood energy sources for cooking and heating.
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