An Overview Of Our Solution
Zambia is faced with energy poverty and is losing almost 150 hectares of forests per annum to charcoal burning and firewood, this is causing massive deforestation. ZASES is concerned that the use of firewood/charcoal for domestic energy is unsustainable as compared to a theoretical biogas potential of 76PJ per annum from animal manure and crop residues which is sustainable and has cost serving measures. The energy produced is sufficient and can provide energy for cooking and lighting while reducing green house gas emissions. There is need to conserve and protect the environment and ecosystems, and the solution to this, is to encourage renewable energy sources such as using biogas bio-digesters and solar irrigation systems.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Africa
General Information
Organization type
Sem fins lucrativos
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Forests
Freshwater
Grasslands
Oceans/Coasts
Population impacted
1000 people
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
105 ha
Production quantity
1500 tonnes
People employed
8 people
Solution
Describe your solution
The biogas digesters and solar irrigation systems will transform the food and income security of smallholder farmers in the local communities by enabling the transition from rain fed subsistence farming to the all year round irrigated agriculture such as reintroduction of with crop plantation, i.e fruits, trees and plants with individually owned technologies and at the same time limit the prolonged culture of cutting down trees for charcoal burning and firewood. On average, farmers who adopt the use of biogas digesters and solar irrigation systems reduce the cost of buying fertilizers and in turn, it will empower the people and lift them out of poverty, while significantly expanding the smallholder’s role in water and renewable energy management.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
With solicited funding from various donors, sponsors and companies. The funding sourced will greatly facilitate the projects activities. As such, the funds will be used for things such as transportation fees, buying and sourcing materials for constructions and payments for the constructors. For the construction of bio-digesters we have an expert mason, he has 12 years experience in biogas designing, constructing, monitoring and commissioning of the biogas digesters in Kigali, Rwanda; Bulawayo, Zimbabwe; Kampala, Uganda; and Zambia. Moreover, because of his vast experience, he will be used to train farmers on the uses of a biogas bio-digester. As for the solar irrigation systems, we have contacted a local company that sells solar irrigation systems. The local farming communities will also be involved in the implementation so as to promote job creation and economic growth.
- Specific activities and/or specifically what your solution does to address the identified problems above in the Context Analysis section
- How you ensured your solution was adopted and promoted change in human activities
- Enabling conditions
- Key success factors
- Any obstacles and how you overcame them
External connections
This project can not be single handledly as it requires working closely and partnering with various collaborators such as line Government institutions; international donors/supporters; NGOs, community and traditional leaders; independent auditors, financial institutions and companies that have successfully dealt with similar renewable energy technologies. Our project efforts are connected to other sectors such as forestry, in the sense that Zambians’ over dependency on firewood and charcoal has rendered the country among the most deforestated countries in the world. But we a switch to adopting and using biodigesters to produce biogas energy the trend will eventually be limited.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Zambia, like many other countries in the Sub-Saharan region, is faced with energy poverty. This is negatively impacting the ecountry’s biodiversity and ecosystems because of losing almost 150 hectares of forests per annum to charcoal burning and firewood, which has caused massive deforestation. ZASES is concerned that the use of firewood/charcoal for domestic energy is unsustainable as compared to a theoretical biogas potential of 76PJ per annum from animal manure and crop residues which is sustainable and has cost serving measures. The energy produced is sufficient and can provide energy for cooking and lighting while reducing green house gas emissions. There is need to conserve and protect the environment and ecosystems, and the solution to this, is to encourage renewable energy sources such as using biogas bio-digesters and solar irrigation systems that are sustainable with health, economic and agricultural benefits.
Describe the context in which you are operating
In Zambia the majority of Zambians, including peasant farmers live on less than $2 PPP per day. To help at least uplift the smallholder farming communities, the project wll construct model biogas digesters and install solar iririgation systems for the farmers and some potential boarding schools that are already engaged in integrated crop and livestock production. Majority of smallholder farmers have potential to commercialise but they are greatly hindered by a lack of sustainable energy supply and regular water for irrigation (i.e., they only depend on seasonal rains and when there is a drought it greatly affects their corps yields which most of them depend on for a livelihood). To facilitate the need for water supply for the crops, they use diesel pumps for irrigation that is not only costly but also unsustainable to the environment and the ecosystem. Therefore, the popularisation of the use of biogas and solar irrigation systems among smallholder farmers will increase their efficiency, reduce their costs, continuous production and sale of crops, increase their profitability and sustainable development. The soil will also be enriched from the solid and water waste from the biogas digester that is rich in nutrients. The waste is poured over the crops as organic fertilizer. This helps to control sanitation issues on the farms.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
With the use of biogas digesters and solar irrigation systems, there is a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions because the energy been produced is clearner and safer to use. Also there is proper management of resources and prevent the expliotation of the environment and land degradation with the use of animal dung that you can easily make by yourself is a high quality fertilizer unlike using in organic fertilizers which is aslo costly for rural smallholder farmers.
Language(s)
Nyanja, Tonga
Water
The project will benefit the local communities in teh sense that they will have continuous production because of the availability of water from the solar irrigation systems which will regulate supply of water to the farm fields, at the same time help to conserve and support the natural environment.
Food Security/Nutrition
This project is very sustainable and presents various benefits that the local communities did not optimise before such as using the fallow land and harvest remains that are used as fodders and bio fertilizes from the animal dung, that wil ensure increased cops yields thereby promoting food security and good nutrition.
Economic/Sustainable Development
Because of the availability of water supply and ready to use organic fertilizers, the farmers will increase their production processes and sell other surplus crops to the local markets to have an extra income, Also by not using diesel for pumping water in the dry seasons for their vegetable, plant and fruits, there is a reduction in energy costs and recovering most of the energy from the waste thereby reducing environmental and ecological impacts.
Climate
When the culture of cutting down trees for charcoal burning and firewood is minimised, it reduces the enhancement of desertification, land degradation, drought and greenhouse gas emissions thereby helping to mainatain the ecological balance for the support of life and livelihoods.
Sustainability
the economic sustainability of our solution is greatly aided by the organizations resources both human and financial, also grant funding from donors and supporters and government subsidies. since our aim is to popularise the adoption of our technologies, we are offering our great solutions to those individuals that have the resources to adopt the technologies.
Return on investment
The overall costs is $55, 000 with monies from the donors and sponsors
Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
The replication and scale of this project is unlimited. There is great need for energy supply. Our chief biogas technician has already assessed 400 potential biogas digester sites awaiting action and funding. He also has had engagements at the national and international levels.