GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, October 26, 2021 – A new project initiated by Sucafina’s sister company in Kenya to install ‘biodigesters’ on farms is addressing community needs, environmental sustainability, and coffee quality.
Biodigesters take household and agricultural waste and transform it into renewable energy and organic fertilizer. This renewable energy can replace charcoal and firewood, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making household air cleaner and safer. Biodigesters can be installed in a wide range of sizes to support families of all sizes and with a variety of needs.
This project was fueled by the needs of the communities with whom we work. A clean source of household energy is a pressing problem for many of the communities where we operate, and for the environment as a whole. According to our partner, Sistema.bio, the average household uses 512 kilograms of firewood each month and spends about US$32 (3,209KES) to buy it. This, in turn, releases about 845 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Moreover, smoke from the fire may be inhaled by family members.
With biodigesters, families can deposit household food scraps, animal manure, and other organic matter into a hermetic hybrid reactor. In the reactor, waste is mixed with water and fermented to produce methane-rich biogas. This gas is funneled into household appliances like cooking stoves and the remaining waste can be used as a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer.
Biodigesters are just one of the projects we are working on that are driving improvements in coffee-producing communities, bringing benefits to local families and improving coffee quality.