People in Need Promote Biogas as a Sustainable Solution to Deforestation and Energy Poverty in Rural Zambia

The majority of rural Zambia depends on traditional biomass fuels like collected firewood, charcoal, agricultural waste, or dried manure for their daily energy requirements, leading to widespread deforestation. The country’s deforestation rate, approximately 1.5% per year, causes around 250,000 to 300,000 hectares of forest loss annually, making it one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. Although there’s an alternative – electricity – only 4.4% of Zambia’s rural population has access to electricity for lighting and cooking.

Unfortunately, women and girls are the most affected by the issue of firewood and charcoal collection. They bear the burden of collecting firewood or charcoal needed for cooking, which takes them more than three hours each day. This situation prevents them from pursuing education or income-generating activities. Additionally, charcoal has adverse effects on the population's health, leading to respiratory and eye diseases, and contributing to other health problems caused by dangerous pollutants. Sadly, women are the ones most exposed to these health risks.

To address this issue, in 2018–2019, People in Need provided an alternative source of energy: BioGas. Biogas plants are an excellent way to produce gas from animal droppings and food scraps, which households can use for cooking and the slurry for fertiliser on farms. Biogas plants are also relatively easy to operate and maintain. People in Need implemented two pilot projects aimed at developing the biogas market in the Western Province of Zambia with the support of the Czech Development Agency. The project has simultaneously generated demand and supply for biogas technology. Through collaboration with trained masons, hardware stores, and financial institutions, the project has so far facilitated the construction of 40 biogas plants, in Mongu, Nalolo and Kalabo districts, creating a substantial positive impact on the lives of rural farmer households in Western Province. The goal is to build 130 more.

The current model encourages farmers who are using biogas technology to use the slurry on their farms and package and sell the excess to other farmers as fertilizer, thereby increasing their potential to generate more income. In July 2023, I visited the western provinces to meet with households using Biogas technology and all the support service partners promoting the expansion of this technology. The goal is to ensure that the project is scalable and sustainable using the Market System Approach. Over the next few months, I'll continue working with the country program to deepen our impact.