Publications

4th meeting of network of experts on domestic biogas private sector development in the framework of national domestic biogas programmes: a brief overview of activities and outcome of discussions (2008).

The fourth meeting of the experts’ network was organised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during the period November 29-30, 2007.

The objective was to present and discuss possibilities for the development of the private sector in national programmes on domestic biogas. The key question was “Which strategies could be effectively formulated and implemented, both from the side of the government for the enabling of the business environment as well as from the side of the private sector?”

The meeting highlights were:
• Field visit to various communities in Takeo Province to experience the Cambodian Country-side, farming families and learn about the biodigester dissemination practices of the National Biodigester Programme (NBP).
• Group discussion and workshop on specific issues related to private sector mobilisation. Mr. S. Yohanes Iwan Baskoro form GERES-Cambodia presented a paper on ‘Promoting Entrepreneurship and Empowering Supply Chain Management’ related to the Improved Cook Stove Programme in Cambodia.
• Paper presentation on SME and outcomes of private sector development by Mr. Tony Knowles, Director of SME Cambodia and Private Sector Development in Rural Cambodia and Mr. Jan Lam from SNV/Cambodia. Mr. Ram Prasad Dhital, Renewable Energy Sector Support Coordinator in Alternative
Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), Nepal, also presented a paper on ‘Enabling Private Sector Development in the Biogas Support Programme (BSP) in Nepal’.

Finally the report summarises all group presentations and discussions, and presents an evaluation.

The National Biodigester Programme (NBP) Cambodia has executed a monitoring survey for her Voluntary Gold Standard (VGS) project. The VGS project is located in South-East Cambodia and covers eight provinces. The monitoring activities are executed according to the monitoring plan in the Project Design Document and the Gold Standard Passport. The monitoring period I runs from 24-5-2009 to 31-08-2010.

The survey population is 8,571 biodigesters built as of 31-08-2010. The survey strategy is a stratified sampling approach, where first 12 districts were randomly selected and 120 households were randomly selected.

The main findings of the monitoring survey are:

• The project has an annual per household project emission of 0.512 tCO2 from physical leakage, incomplete combustion and wood fuel for thermal energy;
• All the biodigester surveyed were in operation, a figure of 99% is adopted to be on the safe side;
• The annual per household emission reductions are 4.18 tCO2;
• The total emission reduction for the monitoring period I are 34,112 tCO2.

The VGS project has a tremendous impact on sustainable development: 100% uses clean biogas, households save $6.32 per month on fuel and $52 per year on chemical fertiliser. The VGS project has a net inflow of revenue of $2,123,508 for monitoring period I. Based on the outcome of the monitoring survey, the claims the following number of Gold Standards Verified Emission Reductions (VER): 34,112.

This study discusses the progress of the ongoing National Biodigester Programme (NBP) in Cambodia that targets individual farming households who have the potential of producing bio-gas. Based on the realistic profile of biodigester construction companies (by using desk studies, field visits, meetings and discussions), essential future actions are discussed in detail.

Although NBP strongly promoted Farmer’s Friend type biodigesters, NBP’s implementation strategy had multiple limitations (e.g. piloting phase covers only a limited number of provinces). Despite the critical mass development through marketing and promotion, it appeared that it has not yet reached a large number of potential clients requesting a digester. Further, the programme currently used the private sector in the implementation component but the sector did not show much interest in building NBP.

It was also evident that the construction sector in the country lacked a proper environment as standards were not enforced and there was no adequate supervision. This calls for NBP to develop their own register where suitable companies are listed. This report provides the basis for such desired company profiles (e.g. NBP should have at least one person who has been trained as an NBP-mason, because NBP-certified masons are key figures in the implementation). Further recommendations (see chapter 7) included the need for NBP to re-format the cost estimates for biodigesters aiming for transparency in order to improve cooperation with the private sector, as well as keeping its training programmes aligned with programme development up-to-date.

Programme arrangement and implementation document: National Biodigester Programme in Cambodia (2006).

This paper describes the progress of the first phase of the National Biodigester Programme (NBP) in the dissemination of domestic biodigesters in developing a commercial, market oriented biodigester sector in Cambodia. A Programme Arrangement has been established between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and SNV Netherlands Development Organization.

The study has determined that efforts in the fields of marketing, financing, etc were needed to successfully complete the first phase of NBP. Promotion was to be undertaken by building contractors and mason teams, while construction, annual maintenance and repair were to be executed by registered commercial companies which would be only allowed to operate after completing a technical training.
Financing was to include an investment subsidy and farmers’ contribution, where the subsidy would serve as a promotion tool that would lower the financial threshold for farmers who have technical potential but lack financial means. The farmers’ contribution was determined to come from farmers’ own reserves or from bank loans. Applied research and development was to focus on the development and modification of plants to reduce costs and improve quality. The main focus of the extension would be on the optimal use of biodigester effluent.

The study presents a comprehensive analysis of the considerable benefits of biodigesters, possible risks and challenges, as well as potential ways to resolve them (e.g. some of the costs and many of the benefits of the programme are in the non-market sphere and this makes it difficult to determine financial and economical values).

This report presents the revised study of the original CDM baseline study conducted in 2006. The original study was conducted under the authority of the National Biogas Program (NBP), to study the potential GHG mitigation resulting from the adoption of domestic biodigesters.

In the beginning of June 2006, a survey amongst 300 randomly selected households with the technical potential for a biodigester was conducted in the NBP’s 6-targeted provinces (Kampong Cham, Svay Rieng, Prey Veng, Kampong Speu, Takeo and Kandal) in southeast Cambodia. The revised baseline study includes two additional provinces, Kampot and Kampong Chhnang.

The survey showed that a significant proportion of the households have no access to basic sanitation and often have health problems. They consume mainly wood as cooking fuel and the majority use inefficient cooking stoves. The main lighting fuel is kerosene.

The GHG emissions were calculated for each type of Animal Waste Management System (AWMS) and the baseline fuel consumption. The main methodology used is the GS-VER biodigester methodology and the IPCC 2006 guidelines to ex-ante estimate baseline, project and the emission reductions. The GHG emission from wood burning is only considered when it originates from a non-renewable source. The NRB analysis determined a NRB share of 70.7% for both collected and purchased wood. Total GHG emission is calculated by combining AWMS and wood fuels emissions. The annual baseline and project emission was estimated to be respectively 5.38 tCO2eq and 0.46 tCO2eq per average household, the emission reductions (ER) are therefore 4.92 tCO2eq/household/year.

This work on Rural Sanitation Supply Chains and Finance is part of the SNV/IRC Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All programme, which aims to improve the health and quality of life of rural people in five Asian countries (Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and Vietnam) through enhanced access to improved sanitation and hygiene practices. It has four integrated technical components, strengthening local capacities for a rural sanitation service delivery with a district-wide approach. An additional cross-cutting regional component of the programme focusses on analysis, dissemination, and learning.

This Brief shares some of the lessons learned from working on the Rural Sanitation Supply Chains and Finance. It also introduces the thinking behind its design and its main activities.

The SNV Domestic Biogas Newsletter provides interesting short articles on SNV-supported countries worldwide. The seventh issue (September 2012) presents:

• Production rate of biogas plants increased
• International workshop on domestic biogas in Asia
• SNV and FAO release Myanmar biogas feasibility study
• Rwanda: charging your phone with cow dung
• ISO certificate for Bangladesh biogas
• Renewed online Renewable Energy library launched
• Knowledge networking of domestic biogas in Asia
• Pakistan Domestic Biogas Programme newsletter released
• The Arusha Tale
• Biogas Programme for the Animal Husbandry Sector in Vietnam
• Biodigester Programme wins first Energy for Life Award
• Innovative microcredits for Cambodian biogas users

The Social Inclusion (SI) and Accountability Proofing Tool has been designed to help SNV advisors and other development practitioners consider and adequately address SI and accountability issues while planning, executing, monitoring and evaluating a programme or project. The tool has been structured around three key stages of project management: analysis and planning, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation. Therefore, the use of this tool is intended to be part of and add quality to the programme/project management process.

The lead institution for the National Biogas Program (NBP) in Cambodia is the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries (MAFF). During the first 15 months of the program 6,400 digesters were installed. For the consumers there multiple potential benefits of participating in the program. At a wider level, the use of biogas can contribute to reduced deforestation and climate change mitigation as an average household in the program now consumes 2,200 Kg less of firewood at an annual basis.

One prominent obstacle to the dissemination of biogas digesters in Cambodia is the lack of cash among farmers, combined with absence of affordable credit products. The NBP has therefore
partnered with financial institutions (such as FMO, PRASAC-MFI and Amret MFI) to design a special credit scheme that provides funding for the biogas investment to household that otherwise could not afford to participate in the program which this report describes. First the report presents the context of the programme with the terms and conditions for the biodigester credit scheme. Secondly, the method/intervention in which is focused on what the programme needs to do at provincial level in
order to help farmers receive a loan. Thirdly is elaborated on stakeholders, their roles, and relationships. Fourthly the report presents the outcomes and impacts. The report ends with key
lessons that were identified during the programme implementation and future challenges of the programme.

The impact of climate change is an unprecedented and increasing global threat to life, livelihoods and life-supporting systems, and is expected to compound and amplify development challenges and stresses.
This study therefore aims to document and assess good practices that have been, or are being, implemented by Cambodian farmers to adapt to climate change.
The best practices in climate change adaptation presented in this study are based on a review of existing agricultural practices across Cambodia, which were examined for their potential in making the most important contribution in adapting to climate change.

The report gives an overview of SNV's engagement with the Federation of Farmer Associations (CFAP) in an effort to give smallholder farmers opportunities, through the vegetable value chain, to connect to markets and improve their family income.

The overall objective of the first phase of the National Biodigester Programme (NBP) is the dissemination of domestic biodigesters as an indigenous, sustainable energy source through the development of a commercial, market oriented biodigester sector in eight selected provinces of Cambodia. Revenue from carbon trading is sought to achieve this objective, because the technology reduces GHG emission. This report is a version of the Gold Standard Local Stakeholder Consultation Report V8, completed in 2011 under the NBP in Cambodia.

The overriding aim of the Gold Standard is to promote investments in energy technologies and energy management techniques that mitigate climate change, promote (local) sustainable development, and are directed towards a transition to non-fossil energy systems.

The report contains different sections. Section A gives a project description with the current project status. Section B encompasses the design of a stakeholder consultation process with a description of the physical meetings and a description of other consultation methods used. Section C describes the consultation process. It shows a detailed participants list with pictures of the meetings and it describes the outcomes of the consultation process with minutes of meetings and an assessment of comments. Section D is the Sustainable Development Assessment. This section is comprised of the “do no harm” assessment, the sustainable development matrix, the stakeholders blind sustainable development matrix, and the consolidated sustainable development matrix. Section E contains the discussion on the Sustainability Monitoring Plan. Finally section F provides a description of the stakeholder feedback round.

The overall objective of the first phase of the National Biodigester Programme (NBP) is the dissemination of domestic biodigesters as an indigenous, sustainable energy source through the development of a commercial, market oriented biodigester sector in eight selected provinces of Cambodia. Revenue from carbon trading is sought to achieve this objective, because the technology reduces GHG emission. This report is a version of the Gold Standard Passport, Version 8, completed in 2011 under the NBP in Cambodia.

The overriding aim of the Gold Standard is to promote investments in energy technologies and energy management techniques that mitigate climate change, promote (local) sustainable development, and are directed towards a transition to non-fossil energy systems.

The report consists of eight sections:
• Project title
• Project description with objectives and contribution to sustainable development
• Proof of project eligibility; with project type and gold standard aim and maps
• Unique project identification; with GPS coordinates of the project location and geographical and spatial map
• Outcome stakeholder consultation process; assessment stakeholder comments and feed-back round.
• Outcome sustainability assessment; “do no harm” assessment and sustainable development matrix
• Sustainability monitoring plan
• Additional and conservativeness

The overall objective of the first phase of the National Biodigester Programme (NBP) is the dissemination of domestic biodigesters as an indigenous, sustainable energy source through the development of a commercial, market oriented biodigester sector in eight selected provinces of Cambodia. Revenue from carbon trading is sought to achieve this objective, because the technology reduces GHG emissions. The emission reductions are realized by installing 18,500 biodigesters in eight selected provinces. The total estimated emission reductions are estimated to be: 565617 tCO2ee over the 10 year credit period.

This project design document form, version 17 and updated in July 2011, describes the small-scale project activities of the Biogas Programme in 8 provinces in the southeast of Cambodia. It provides a technical description with an estimated reduction of emissions over the chosen crediting period, an application of a baseline and monitoring methodology including baseline development, project boundary, and a description of how the anthropogenic emissions of GHG by sources are reduced below those that would have occurred in the absence of the registered small-scale CDM project activity the duration of the project. There is a focus on different barriers and emission reductions. The application of a monitoring methodology, a description of the monitoring plan, the activity/crediting period, environmental impacts, and stakeholders’ comments are also described.