This text was contributed to TechCabal by Tiwonge Kampondeni/hen story company 

29-year-old Clement Kandodo nonetheless has very vivid reminiscences of his farmer mother and father’ assist for a household of 5 kids. Kandodo himself spent many pleased days within the fields along with his father and mom and to this present day holds his mother and father up as position fashions. 

“My father was a profitable farmer in our group, incomes the moniker ‘lead farmer.’ This made me proud as a toddler as a result of I’d brag about my father’s success wherever I went, and I used to be considered a hero amongst my friends,” Kandodo recalled.

Rising up and being concerned in farming, Kandodo, realized at a younger age nonetheless that ‘not all that glitters is gold,’ as there have been vital challenges to his mother and father’ success.

“I noticed my father was having problem acquiring fertiliser.” It was very expensive for him. “He would typically promote a few of the livestock to purchase the fertiliser baggage,” Kandodo defined.

Kandodo credit his present course in life with a want to seek out options to these challenges. Setting his coronary heart on attending the Bunda Faculty of Agriculture (now a part of the Lilongwe College of Agriculture and Pure Assets, or LUANAR), his want was granted in 2012 when he was accepted to check agronomy (majoring in crop and soil science). 

“Learning agronomy was like finishing the puzzle. Simply as I used to be craving for low-cost farming strategies, one of many lecturers introduced up a subject about the best way to make natural fertiliser and cooking gasoline from waste, throughout considered one of my lessons. This was an enormous inspiration for my profession,” Kandodo defined.

His curiosity in agriculture, environmental conservation, and considerations over youth unemployment figures drove Kandodo—now a YALI fellow—to launch his personal firm, EcoGen, shortly after graduating in 2016.

Located in Lilongwe’s Falls Property, EcoGen focuses on offering biogas know-how that permits folks to transform accessible meals waste, animal waste, or farm waste into fertiliser, cooking gasoline, pesticides, and animal feed. The yard of the workplace premises is used as an indication website, displaying how the know-how works, beginning with the digester and a backyard of various crops.

EcoGen touts its know-how each as an answer to Malawi’s waste administration downside in addition to an answer to deforestation.

Biogas know-how employs biodigesters, which perform as bins into which all natural waste is disposed of and which is then “digested” (in a course of often known as cardio digestion). Fertiliser and cooking gasoline are produced because of the method.

Kandodo has dubbed the ‘waste’ from this course of ‘brown gold,’ as it’s a very environment friendly fertiliser. He’s overjoyed that the know-how permits him to kill greater than two birds with one stone.

“I’m ecstatic about this know-how. Even within the yard, this technique will be put in. The digester consumes meals scraps or livestock waste. So, whereas it could actually produce cheaper natural fertilizer, additionally it is essentially the most environment friendly approach to handle waste.”

In keeping with the United Nations Development Programme, Malawi faces plenty of waste administration challenges, with metropolis councils managing on common solely 12% of the waste created of their areas, with non-public waste collectors filling the void. Poor coordination amongst waste turbines (households and establishments), waste collectors, and recyclers makes the issue worse.

In keeping with the nation’s 2017–2027 Charcoal Technique, greater than 97% of Malawian households depend on unlawful and unsustainable sourced biomass (charcoal and firewood) for home cooking and heating vitality. 

“One other vital benefit of utilizing this know-how is gasoline manufacturing. It’s a solution to girls like my mom who used to stroll lengthy distances in quest of firewood, as a result of as soon as this know-how is put in, that family will be capable to not depend on charcoal or firewood for cooking however gasoline—and within the course of they’re now not strolling lengthy distances to fetch firewood or spending extra on charcoal, thereby preserving bushes,” Kandodo stated.

EcoGen’s goal inhabitants is various and contains farmers, households, and organizations equivalent to hospitals and faculties.

The corporate has received awards for aiding farmers like Yohane Chawoloka of Malawi’s central area district of Dedza. His household now cooks with gasoline and makes use of bio fertilizer as a substitute of chemical fertilizer, which he makes from hen, cow, and pig waste.

Chawoloka cultivates maize, beans, groundnuts, potatoes, and cassava, however he additionally produces milk and has livestock. To Chawoloka, natural waste has develop into a supply of a number of options to the issues he faces as a farmer. 

“I’m sorry as a result of I’ve been discarding waste for over 30 years, permitting it to decay within the air and pollute the setting. However after listening to about this know-how from EcoGen, I knew I needed to have it put in in my yard,” Chawoloka stated.

“I’m now saving some huge cash as a result of I now use natural fertiliser that I harvest from the biogas know-how,” he continued. 

The Dedza-based farmer would beforehand use 16–17 baggage of chemical fertiliser for his crops, spending over K400,000 (U$390) on a 4-acre plot of land. Now he spends nearly nothing on fertilizer and his yield has truly elevated. Producing natural fertiliser might appear to be a dirty process, however Chaoloka’s facial features tells you in any other case; he seems to be in love with what he’s doing.

“You possibly can test it out for your self. I anticipate having over 200 (50 kg) baggage of maize. Moreover, I’m now not spending the 1,000 kwacha I used to be spending on firewood daily as a result of my spouse now cooks with gasoline,” he defined.

The biogas system is long-lasting and Kandodo defined that the EcoGen system comes with a ten-year guarantee and a life span of greater than 20 years. It prices K987 500 (US$987) with the choice of paying in installments for as much as 2 years. 

“In Malawi, folks usually spend 20,000 to 30,000 kwacha per thirty days on cooking, and the vast majority of folks spend 120,000 to 150,000 kwacha on fertiliser. So, having our know-how implies that one will be capable to save sufficient to pay for the system whereas saving tens of millions of kwachas in subsequent years. Our premise is that upon getting our know-how, you’ll start saving cash and, as you save, you may be repaying till you end. In consequence, the know-how will develop into extra reasonably priced,” Kandodo defined.

EcoGen is considered one of only some corporations in Malawi selling natural fertiliser and using biogas for cooking. Whereas different African international locations like Nigeria, South Africa and Algeria have inorganic fertiliser manufacturing vegetation, Malawi is but to have one – but the nation makes use of over 500,000 metric tonnes of inorganic fertiliser yearly on industrial and subsistence farms. 

Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture spokesperson Gracian Lungu stated that farmers are inspired to provide natural fertiliser, which farmers complement with the inorganic fertiliser to maximise their manufacturing, pointing to deficiencies in a purely natural choice.

“The nitrogen share doesn’t attain the wanted 23% in basal dressing and 46% in high dressing. Essentially the most advantages one will get from natural manure is that they’re low-cost they usually restore soil fertility,” he stated.

Whereas Malawi’s authorities is doing feasibility research for the viability of a fertiliser manufacturing plant, the federal government is pledging assist for viable improvements.

The nation’s Nationwide Power Coverage of 2018 has prioritised biogas and the federal government has supported plenty of biogas initiatives – and can also be selling using biogas at establishments equivalent to faculties, hospitals and prisons.

“The federal government is selling utilizing applied sciences which might be clear, trendy, reasonably priced and environment friendly. These embody mini-grids and large-scale energy vegetation.” Ministry of vitality’s Public Relations Officer Upile Kamoto-Lali stated.

Wellam Kamthunzi, a lecturer in agricultural engineering at LUANAR, believes biogas know-how to be each economical and environmentally pleasant.

“By utilizing animal waste to provide biogas, you don’t lose the fertiliser worth, however you enhance the fertilizer worth whereas gaining vitality within the type of pure gasoline for cooking and even operating engines,” he defined.

Kamthunzi recommended that cities, municipalities and cities use digesters for waste administration and that enormous livestock producers be inspired to provide biogas from livestock waste. 

“All natural waste that results in landfills—like these run by the cities of Lilongwe and Blantyre—can be utilized to provide biogas,” he stated.

EcoGen has put in over 60 techniques, with a aim of putting in over 10,000 biogas techniques by 2026 to supply extra folks with entry to scrub cooking, waste administration, and sustainable farming.