An Overview Of Our Solution
About 98% of households in rural areas in Cameroon and a high percentage of the urban poor use firewood and charcoal as a source of energy for cooking which is causing increasing deforestation and climate change. More than 70% percent of small-scale farmers use synthetic fertilizer as a means to increase soil fertility which also causes contamination of groundwater systems. One way to solve these problems is to divert the destination of organic waste from landfills and use it for the production of biogas that can be used for cooking and compost that can be used in agriculture. At BOOST GREEN, we sensitize communities on waste segregation, build their capacity on biogas and compost production and install household biogas and compost plants.
- Population Impacted: About 26, 200 people
- Continent: Africa
Last name
Organization type
Context Analysis
Our solution is aimed at solving two major adverse behaviors in the environment from households and farmers; the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking and the use of synthetic fertilizer in agriculture.
98% of household in rural communities and a high number of urban poor in Cameroon depend on fire wood and charcoal as the main source of energy used in cooking. With the increase use of firewood and charcoal, deforestation has also witnessed an increase leading to land use change, loss of biodiversity, loss of vegetation cover and increase soil erosion, increase greenhouse emissions and changing climate as a result of land use change and greenhouse gas emissions. Secondly, the use of synthetic fertilizer by small scale farmers as a means to increase soil fertility which is leached into surface and ground water systems causing serious environmental and health effects.
Describe the technical solution you wanted the target audience to adopt
The technical solution we implement at BOOSTGREEN is Biogas production and compression into gas bottles and pressure bags to be used as cooking gas in households. Biogas produced from the breakdown of organic and bio-digrable materials through an anaerobic process, with the help of methanogenic bacterial. Biogas is made up of three main gases: methane (CH4), Carbon dioxide (CO2), and hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Only methane is useful at the end of this process because of its flammability which is a source of energy for cooking. We also teach households on how to use a micro compressor to compress the gas into gas bottles and piping into house hold for cooking.
We also carry out sensitization and capacity building on composting of organic waste into organic fertilizer to be use in agriculture. We teach farmers how to construct small composting plants around their homes where their organic waste can be used to produce organic fertilizer.
Type of intervention
Describe your behavioral intervention
Firstly, this intervention is aimed at diverting people’s attention from the use of firewood and charcoal as a source energy for cooking in communities in Cameroon and Africa as whole. Secondly, the intervention is also aimed at diverting farmer’s use of synthetic fertilizer as a means to increase soil fertility in agriculture.
This use of organic waste to produce biogas and organic fertilizer does not only solve the energy crises but has many advantages such as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills increase the live span of landfills and increase the efficiency of waste management in municipalities.
To increase consumer adoption of the solution, we have used local materials that is easily accessible and affordable in all communities. The productions of biogas for example uses very simple material like kitchen waste and other bio-degradable material which is produced in communities on a daily basis. To purify the gas and upgrade the methane content, we use lime water and iron fillings to dissolve carbon dioxide and absorb hydrogen sulphide respectively which are all very common material in most communities. We also use micro-compressors to compress the gas and store it temporally in gas bottles. We have also made our technology to be simple as possible in addition to the trainings we give to local communities on how to implement it. In compost production we use local materials and we make the process as simple as possible
As needed, please explain the type of intervention in more detail
This intervention is about the installation of community and household biogas and composting plants for production of biogas and compost to be used in cooking and organic fertilizer in farms respectively. Under this intervention, we teach communities on how to recycle organic waste into energy/resource. We teach communities on how to produce biogas, purify, compress and pipe the gas to their kitchens for cooking. This is done through workshops and seminars in communities after which we always construct a pilot plant in the community to serve as a demonstration site for learning and capacity building. We also install biogas plants in houses at a reduced cost to encourage them to use the solution. Finally, we build capacity on composting techniques and how to use local materials to construct composting plants in houses.
Describe your implementation
Our implementation begins with a prior inform consent to the heads of the target community followed by a press announcement through radio, TV and other local platforms to tell the communities about our project. After this a workshop to sensitize communities on waste segregation, the uses of waste and the effects of poor waste management to public health and the environment. A pilot biogas and composting plants is always constructed in every community to serve as a demonstration and for capacity building. Finally we do household installation of biogas and compost at a subsidized rate to encourage them to use the solution.
The greenhouse gases are emitted mostly by the organic waste in landfills. The use of organic waste in the production of biogas and compost, increases the diversion of organic waste from landfills and reduction of greenhouse gases released from landfills to the atmosphere.
Our solution makes use of local materials that is easily accessible and affordable for an average household in communities. We also make our technology as simple as possible coupled with the capacity building training that we give to local people on the use of the products.
We have constructed two community biogas and composting plants each in the south west region and twenty three (23) household biogas installation. We have also build the capacity of eighty seven youths on how to construct, monitor and manage biogas plants. Five pilot biogas plants have recently been constructed in Edo state Nigeria, with the intention to scale up.
The major challenge we had with biogas technology was to identify the best substrates that gives the highest biogas yields and to solve the problems related to the potential risk it may cause to users such as fire accidents. Thanks to research, we have been able to identify the best substrates and the mixtures that gives the highest biogas yields while a safety manual has been produced to reduce potential risk biogas may cause to users.
External connections
To achieve our objective and to create more impacts, we have successfully created a partnership with the department of Environmental science of the University of Buea, the ministry of Environmental in Cameroon through the regional delegation of Environment and nature protection and other non-governmental organizations like the Neola Lyonga Foundation and the Resource Center for Environment and Sustainable Development (RCESD). Our partnership with the University of Buea through the environmental science department has help us to exchange skills and research meanwhile our partnership with ministry has provided us with research and subsidy in the implementation of projects in some communities. The Neola Lyonga foundation has provided us with volunteers while we have collaborated with RCESD to carry out research on the best practices and how to increase impacts in communities.
This solution has great link with other sectors such as energy sector, health and agriculture. Biogas is an alternative source of energy for cooking while compost is a close substitute for synthetic fertilizer. Poor waste management in communities has health effects. The proper management of waste and the production of biogas and compost is in a way promoting proper waste management and avoiding the potential health effects of poor waste management. For the project to achieve greater returns there is need to pass policy in favor of our products and the need for finance to implement project activities.
Who adopted the desired behaviors and to what degree?
Our solution targets households and farmers in communities. We constructed two community biogas and composting plants each as demonstration site to teach communities on the technology and we have successful installed biogas plants in twenty three (23) households in some rural communities in the south west region of Cameron. We have also build the capacity of some eighty-seven (87) youth leaders in Cameroon so that they can implement the project at their community level. Furthermore, we have constructed five biogas plants in Edo state Nigeria during a pilot project sponsored by the PAX-HERBAL of Edo state to teach communities on how to implement this solution. For more evidence, please visit www.boostgreen.org .
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
About 82% of households in Cameroon use either firewood or charcoal as a source of energy for cooking. The use of firewood and charcoal increases the deforestation in order to produce firewood and charcoal. The use of Biogas as source of cooking reduces the rate of deforestation, since biogas will replace firewood and charcoal. This does not only protect the forest and wildlife but also protect the climate. Also about 95% of farmers in Cameroon as of 2016 use synthetic fertilizer in their farms. Which ends being leached to surface and groundwater systems. The use of compost will avoid the contamination of ground water systems. Also using the organic waste generated by households to produce biogas and compost will not only increase the life span of landfills but will reduce the rate of emissions from landfills from organic waste.
What were some of the resulting co-benefits?
The use of waste to produce biogas and compost has not only environmental and public health benefits but also has a positive impact on the livelihoods of people in the community. First the use of biogas as a substitute of firewood and charcoal as a source of energy for cooking limits the amount of trees cut for fuel wood leading increase conservation of the forest. Secondly, the use of waste to produce biogas and compost promotes proper waste management and reduces the public health risk posed by poor waste management. Finally, biogas and compost are cheaper than its close substitutes (firewood and synthetic fertilizer respectively). As a results of this, households who use biogas and compost have witness an increase in their incomes since they spent less compared to if they were using the other alternative.
Sustainability
Even though we have benefited from subsidies from the government, we don’t too much rely on subsidies because our solution can still be market based. We always charge households with an amount of money in order to buy materials for the construction of biogas and composting plants and a very little amount of money as labor cost so as meet up with rents and running cost for the organization. However, a subsidy or a grant is very important because it reduces the prices household have to pay for the product and therefore encourage them to prefer the products instead of their substitutes.
Return on investment
Generally, it cost about $550 to install a biogas plant for an average household with five persons. For composting plants, we teach farmers to construct local composting plants during workshops and seminar that is in most occasions funded by our partners. In each house, we make about $75 after deducting cost of materials and labor which helps us to run other administrative activities within the organization.
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
This solution has been implemented in communities in the south west region and in Edo state Nigeria. We have successfully constructed two community biogas and composting plants each in the south west region of Cameroon. We have also installed twenty-three (23) biogas plants in households in Cameroon and while five biogas plants have been constructed in Edo state Nigeria. Presently we are thinking of scaling-up the solution to impacts at least 100households in forest communities in Cameroon. We plan to reduce the price for installation for each household by $200. To realize this, we will need close to $20,000 as subsidy to encourage household to use the product. We plan to hold a three days’ workshop with a target of 150 participants for capacity building with an estimated budget of $2000. We will need about $2000 for communication, transportation of staffs and volunteers and local runs. This will make a total of about $24,000 to implement this solution in 100households.