In the 1990s this strategy was extended to remote communities in west Guangxi where wood for fuel was in short supply and rural electricity was not available. In 2002, it was a key component of a six-year, IFAD-funded project to improve and sustain the livelihoods of poor rural people while rebuilding and conserving natural resources. Biogas units turn human and animal waste into a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide gases that can be used for lighting and cooking. Each household builds its own plant to channel waste from the domestic toilet and nearby shelters for animals, usually pigs, into a sealed tank. The waste ferments and is naturally converted into gas and compost, resulting in improved sanitary conditions at home. The poorest households, with only one pig, built small units that could produce enough gas for lighting in the evening. Households with two or more pigs built larger units that could produce gas for cooking as well as lighting. The double bonus of energy and compost motivated poor people to adopt this technology in significant numbers. By 2006, the project had exceeded its target, by providing more than 22,600 biogas tanks and helping almost 30,000 households in more than 3,100 villages. As a result, 56,600 tons of firewood can be saved in the project area every year, equivalent to the recovery of 7,470 hectares of forest. Biogas units produce gas for ten months a year; in the winter, temperatures are too low for the fermentation to work properly so wood is needed for fuel during this time. But during the rest of the year, families save 60 work days by not having to collect wood and tend cooking fires. By using biogas, the living conditions and the environment have improved, forests are protected, and the labour force has more time for agricultural production. A large amount of straw, which was previously burned, is now put into biogas tanks to ferment. This reduces air pollution from smoke and helps produce high-quality organic fertilizer. The Guangxi project has become a catalyst for other initiatives in the region. To date, 2.73 million biogas tanks have been built in villages, benefiting about 34.2 per cent of the rural households in Guangxi. It is estimated that 7.65 million tons of standard coal and 13.40 million tons of firewood are saved annually in Guangxi because of the use of biogas. Source: IFAD |
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China has very successfully promoted the use of biogas as a source of household energy since the 1980s.