Domestic Biogas Development in Developing Countries
ENEA Consulting
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Abstract: Communities that rely mostly on agriculture and livestock farming in developing countries can face strong pressure related to: Energy access: for instance, in Africa, it is estimated that 68% of the population1 live without clean cooking facilities [1]. Energy access plays a key role in poverty alleviation. Resources depletion: if a household uses firewood for cooking purposes, forests depletion in some areas makes firewood collection tougher. Climate change mitigation: agriculture (i.e. the production of crop and livestock products) accounts for 13.5%2 of the global GHG emissions [2], and extensive systems are sometimes blamed for being less efficient than intensive ones when it comes to climate change mitigation (given that the later involve lower direct emissions per kg of product). In this context, access to clean and sustainable energy through domestic biogas production can help rural communities alleviate current pressures on the environment. In an urban context, domestic biogas in developing countries is also considered as a means for improving hygiene conditions (especially when it comes to public washrooms issues). This report only focuses on domestic biogas development within the frame of small scale agriculture and livestock production (i.e. in rural areas).