Publications

The Kenya Biogas programme is a component of the African Biogas Partnership Programme (ABPP), funded by the Directorate General for International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs through two Dutch development NGO’s, the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos) and the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV).

The overall goal of the Programme is to improve livelihoods of rural farmers through benefits of domestic biogas and develop of a commercially viable, market oriented biogas sector.  In the first 2 years of implementation a total of 3,239 plants have been installed across the country, 477 rural youth trained and engaged in gainful activities as biogas masons and some 67 biogas construction companies engaged viable business.

Over this time a total of over 18,000 farmers have been reached through the Programme’s promotional and extension activities, further raising awareness on the need to use clean energy and increasing agricultural production through effective use of bio-slurry. The Programme is also a key in the development of National biogas standards in Kenya Bureau of Standards that are expected to regulate development of the biogas sector for sustained growth and sustainability.

The year 2011 was the second year of effective implementation of the Kenya National Domestic Biogas Programme (KENDBIP). The year saw a significant expansion in its partnership network with over 55 institutions and organizations from both the private and public sectors collaborating with the programme in the implementation of the various programme components, enhancing the programme’s outreach and service delivery to clients.

Démarche méthodologique pour la formulation de projets.

Key findings of the research: confirmed that Ethiopian MFIs are highly dependent on fund from external sources and they will find it difficult to extend loan for biogas user while satisfying the current financial need of their clientele; they also lack human resource capacity to participate in the NBP; they exhibited low level application of modern technologies such as MIS as a result of their limited financial capacity; majority of the MFIs are not aware of biogas technology and its benefit to the society, the environment and the business opportunity for their own organisation provided through new loan product; even if there is lack of proper infrastructure which could result in higher interest rate for rural households compensating the resulting higher transaction cost, MFIs are not charging rural clients higher interest rate, they rather vary the interest rate based on the lending methodology, the type of loan products and repayment period which is the same for all rural, semi-urban and urban clients.

Main conclusions: without building their financial, human resource and institutional capacity, with their current limited capacity Ethiopia MFIs will find it difficult to participate in NBP; lack of awareness about biogas lead MFIs to think that providing loan for biogas user is a risky business and they put forward a number of pre-requisites and additional guarantee requirements for biodigesters for the sake of their own security; lack of awareness found out to be a low level problem that could be addressed by continuous training and awareness raising campaigns.

This study examines the possible set-up of a National Domestic Biogas Programme (NDBP) in Senegal by clearly stating the steps needed in order to establish the programme, as well as functions needing urgent action by key actors involved in the programme.

Study findings (workshop, field visits, and interviews) indicated that the available institutional framework in the country had sufficient potential for biogas installations. The interest on the side of farmers in the biogas sector was also high. Ministry of Energy was considered as the most suitable institution in realizing a relationship with wider institutional context, and its Agence Sénégalaise d’ Electrification Rurale (ASER) - as the most appropriate implementation agency.
Study recommendations include the need for Ministry of Energy/ASER to determine, within the framework of the national budget allocation procedures, the potential Senegalese budgetary contribution on the basis of the feasibility study and its programme outline. Ministry of Energy/ASER also needs to connect itself with the ongoing process for establishing the programme and disseminating domestic biogas.

Recommendations to SNV WCA stated the urgent need for finalizing its conditions and intervention modes in biogas activities, as well as deciding on possible collaboration activities with ENDA TM. Further, SNV WCA needs to continue execute all necessary steps to be able to assign staff to the NDBP in Senegal as soon as all parties have committed themselves to the programme. The report also presents in detail all functions that need to be executed, as well as the most suitable actors for that purpose.

This study deals with the scope of the National Domestic Biogas Programme (NDBP) in Rwanda, and more specifically serves as a reliable database on energy needs of rural integrated farming households. A survey was used to thoroughly assess individual households’ situation regarding energy, sanitation, health, environmental protection and agriculture, and income generation. 96.5% of surveyed households practiced subsistence or small scale market agriculture, and 99% of those used firewood for cooking fuel. However, 89% would use energy generated from animal and toilet waste for cooking and lighting, and bio-slurry as a fertiliser. Based on the survey results specific challenges and issues needing further attention were identified. NDBP activities included the introduction of biogas lamps in the programme and promotional campaigns at district level involving local authorities.

As for the selection criteria for potential implementation areas, it is important that the cattle keeping system is not the only indicator for the local biogas market potential, as even under zero grazing conditions the available biomass could be insufficient for a satisfying biogas production. For subsidies and micro-finance scheme, the efficient use of animal urine as mixing agent was said to play a key role to save water, together with rainwater harvesting. Further, a key priority for NDBP was to closely monitor the carbon credit market as it constantly develops and brings new opportunities. The rationale behind recommendations as well as detailed survey findings and future steps required can be found in the report.

This document presents basic information about biogas technology in the form of Biogas Digest Volume 4. The document contains 19 sections on different countries and regions. They are respectively:
• Biogas technology in Bangladesh
• Biogas technology in Belize
• Biogas technology in Bolivia (region Chochabamba)
• Biogas technology in Burundi
• Biogas technology in China (Sichuan)
• Biogas technology in Columbia
• Biogas technology in India
• Biogas technology in Orissa (India)
• Biogas technology in Sangli (India)
• Biogas technology in the Ivory Coast (region of Korhogo)
• Biogas technology in Jamaica
• Biogas technology on Java (province of Central Java)
• Biogas technology in Kenya
• Biogas technology in Morocco (region of Souss-Massa)
• Biogas technology in Nepal
• Biogas technology in Tanzania
• Biogas technology in Thailand
• Biogas technology in Tunisia (Sejenane, El Kef)
• Biogas technology in Vietnam

A better life for two million households in Africa through the implementation of domestic biogas plants was the ambitious target set at a May 2007 conference in Nairobi, Kenya, organized by the Biogas Africa Initiative.

This article goes into the past of biogas in Africa, its technical potential and current biogas needs. Further, it reports the launching of the Africa Biogas Initiative in May 2007 in Nairobi and the endorsement of the business plan, which aims to install 20 million biogas plants in Africa by 2020. The vision of the Initiative is to succeed in the implementation of biogas technology in African countries as a market-oriented partnership between governments, private sector players, civil society agents and international development partners. The specific targets of the initiative to be achieved by 2020 are presented in the article. The article also presents a short explanation of the guiding principles for national programmes and it concludes with activities in Africa at country level and the way forward.

Article introduces briefly the history and status of biogas technology, as part of Ethiopian rural energy services. It elaborates on the development of a National Biogas Program with assistance from SNV. EREDPC was identified to coordinate the programme.

The artcile discusses the folowing topics:

- A step towards a national biogas program in Ethiopia;
- Rural Energy in Ethiopia;
- Institutional Arrangement;
- EREDPC and implementation experience of rural energy technologies;
- Status of biogas dissemination in Ethiopia;
- SNV and the Ethiopian National Biogas Program (NBP);
- Goal of the National Biogas Program;
- SNV Approach;
- Results;
- Moments of success;
- Lessons Learnt;
- Recommendations.

Contact details are provided.

The goal of the National Biogas Programme for Cameroon is to bring tangible and quantifiable improvements in the quality of life of rural households in Cameroon.

This report presents data about Cameroon related to a domestic biogas programme. The report contains 9 chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the country and the energy sector. Chapter two presents the biogas experience in Cameroon so far at institutional and domestic level. It also elaborates on the lessons learnt. Chapter 3 provides the key elements of a national biogas programme with its goal, objective, policy linkages and national biogas target. The fourth chapter elaborates on the institutional arrangement with a programme approach, advisory and implementation partners, and the roles and responsibilities at central and local levels. Chapter 5 describes the programme implementation activities with an annual programme framework, regional distribution of plants and Transitional Phase (year 1) programmes. Programme components and overall cost make up chapter 6. Salient features, activity and budget headings, source of funding, and income from GHG emission reductions are paragraph headers in this chapter. Chapter 7 presents the subsidy and credit arrangements with lessons learnt from other countries. Chapter 8 shows demonstration phase activities and outcomes with a focus on the design and approach, demonstration phase activities and lessons learnt and recommendations. The last chapter elaborates on the technology and the choice of the digester model. Different designs and models are presented with emphasis on the GGC 2074 model. The chapter ends with a description of the benefits of biogas use.

This report presents the outcomes of a field visit in the Kaolack region in Senegal, initiated in order to obtain more information about the practices in this region for biogas use.

Study findings in terms of cattle keeping practices revealed that most cattle households grazed their animals for 6-8hrs a day and stabled them in their compound with a rope or in a basic stable. Further, a few examples of artificial insemination were seen to improve milk and meat cows, which indicated an
interest on the side of farmers to engage in innovative activities if they proved to be beneficial. Further, manure was used to fertilise the fields at the time of planting and water was available through boreholes.

Study findings in terms of size and cooking showed that families were bigger in number than initially expected by SNV (10-15 people). It also appeared that there was only one kitchen for each family available for cooking, with big stoves fuelled by fire wood, which was mostly purchased. During the field visit it became clear that potential biogas installations would not be able to fully satisfy family cooking demand.