This sample proposal “Biogas Project” comes with the general objective of the project is to conserve the environment by the use of biogas as an alternative source of energy in rural Tanzania thus environmental protection. The rationale for implementing the proposed project is based on the fact that majority of Tanzanian domestic energy needed is met by charcoal and firewood. In rural Tanzania’s villages cooking services are done mainly on traditional three-stone fires leading to severe health consequences; mainly due to indoor air pollution. Uncontrolled tree cuttings result in decrease of forest cover. As a result, distances for collecting firewood are constantly increasing, which leads to fuel scarcity and further economic, social and environmental problems. This sample proposal has specific objectives behind implementing the biogas project inTanzania at achieving the following; -To construct biogas plants in the three villages, reduce uncontrolled firewood cuttings and charcoal business which may result in decrease of forest cover, create employment opportunities among the community, add into farm produce, promote livestock keeping.
Project Rationale
The district like many other districts of the Kagera region in Tanzania is characterized by high degree of poverty. The indicators of which among many include low income, heavy infestation on communicable diseases (especially malaria and HIV/AIDS), inadequate supply of safe and improved basic needs such as water, food, poor shelter, poor social services (access to health care and schools), the degree of deforestation, poor environmental sanitation that include poor and lack of toilets in many cases of rural residents.
The rationale for implementing the proposed project is based on the fact that majority of Tanzanian domestic energy needed is met by charcoal and firewood. In rural Tanzania’s villages cooking services are done mainly on traditional three-stone fires leading to severe health consequences; mainly due to indoor air pollution. Uncontrolled tree cuttings result in decrease of forest cover. As a result, distances for collecting firewood are constantly increasing, which leads to fuel scarcity and further economic, social and environmental problems.
In response to the above, the government policy promotes among other measures, biogas as an alternative source of energy. This aims at supporting the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX cluster II in which quality of life and social well-being are emphasized. In this cluster attention is being put into the promotion of clean and healthy environment and sustainable use of natural resources. It has been proved that biogas dissemination has improved the lives of users. The proposed project will be a pilot replication that intends to demonstrate biogas as alternative energy for the community to adopt.
Moreover, biogas project intends to support the National Livestock Policy of 2006, which among other issues promote the utilization of manure and production of biogas in order to improve livelihood of livestock farmers while conserving the environment. Also, the Rural Development Strategy considers biogas as an alternative to firewood in order to foster rural development.
Despite all the efforts done by the government and private sector still tree cutting for charcoal persist. Some of the interviewed government official includes WEOs and VEOs pointed the failure to lack of human and financial resources, the forests land that needs attention are so big to the extent that these few foresters fail to make follow-up and monitor the incidences.
Some of the challenges mentioned by the respondents interviewed during the EIA and which need attention for effective forestry management include; –
- Financial Capability
- It was noted that forest activities do not get enough funds from the capital development grant just because it is not what they term ‘priority sector’. It was also noted that although the district councils collect revenues from forests, but it doesn’t plough back enough money for the management of forests
- Distance to the Forests
- Most of the forests are located many kilometers from the village centers; some are 35 kilometers or more. This makes the patrol and monitoring the forests be a bit difficult. It was noted that the patrol of the forests is done by the District Foresters who only go with vehicles, therefore do rounding along the roads and where the village committees are doing the patrols, these people don’t have transport. Sometimes they hire using their own money that is not refunded. Moreover, they leave their economic activities for community volunteering activity.
- Physical Constraints
- Physical constraints reported included lack of; –
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- Vehicles
- Vehicles include motorcycles and bicycles be provided to the VECs, the available vehicle with the District Natural Resources is too low to maneuver through the forest without or with rough roads and huge pot-holes.
- Vehicles
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- Human Resources
- It was noted that most of the staff in the district are forest attendants. They are not very capable in facing the challenges including mobilization of resources and attending legal matters
- Poor Land use and Practices
- Biharamulo district is well endowed with vast tracts of land and different land use practices are taking place. It was noted that there is a problem of proper land use plans put in place. The people in the district are farmers and pastoralists. At the time they were in process of preparing their land for farming logs are fallen, trees were found burning on the ground. Livestock were also found to be grazing in the forests and making it possible for the pastoralists to burn the area for greener pastures and falling trees for construction of cattle sheds commonly known as ‘rubago’. In the most cases, these pastoralists are from the neighboring country of Rwanda who doesn’t have even residential permits.
- Meetings
- Meeting is one of the communication tools. Most villages communicate development issues through the village meetings. It was noted however that, many people don’t attend meetings. In this way information of the environmental conservation and protection doesn’t smoothly pass to the communities.
- Physical constraints reported included lack of; –
Intervention Strategies
Through observation, different discussions and detailed documentation by other stakeholders in the district, there is an indication of sustainability and growth through continuous process of introducing new technology of constructing biogas plants within their localities.
The project will be a pilot one and will construct biogas plants in the following villages; –
- Nyantakara – 1
- Mavota – 1
- Kaniha – 1
It is a true fact these the target villages proved to be the main centers of charcoal business and tree falling areas. Communities are knowledgeable about the hazards of deforestation; therefore, their involvement is necessary in abating the environmental destruction and can provide solutions to the problem.
Sharing responsibilities, raising awareness, building capacity of local communities, early warning and monitoring are the key aspects that will strengthen deforestation risk reduction measures. In addition, every village will form a Village Environmental Committee (VEC) and be trained on environmental management.
The project will involve several strategies for its implementation that will need financing’-
- Community mobilization
- Formation of Village Environmental Committee
- Identification of exactly project site
- Collection of locally available materials
- Purchase of materials
- Actual cost Biogas Plant Construction
- Monitoring and Evaluation
The use of biogas will give relief to the workload of women and make it possible for men to participate in providing energy needs at homestead level; a role which is otherwise traditionally a women’s responsibility. Local farmers will be able to increase crop production due to the reduced time, which was previously spent for firewood collection. In addition, farmers will benefit through acquisition of knowledge skills on biogas plant maintenance and conservation of environment. It will eventually reduce deforestation and depletion.
Project Objectives
Global Objective
The general objective of the project is to conserve the environment by the use of biogas as an alternative source of energy in rural Tanzania thus environmental protection.
Specific Objectives
The specific objectives behind implementing the biogas project in Biharamulo district are aimed at achieving the following; –
- To construct 9 biogas plants in the three villages of Biharamulo district
- To reduce uncontrolled firewood cuttings and charcoal business which may result in decrease of forest cover
- To create employment opportunities among the community
- To add into farm produce
- To promote livestock keeping
Project Management and Implementation
The overall responsibility of the project will be administered by XXXXXXXX in collaboration with the VEC of that particular village. The biogas project has been designed to with clear strategies to ensure rural community have participation at all levels of implementation and shall have measurable economic impact on women and children as a most firewood victims.
There are two types of biogas plants to be applied; –
- Fermentation of animal waste
- Fermentation of human waste
The size of the biogas plant will vary from a small household system to large commercial and institution plants of several thousands of cubic meters.
The digestion of animal and human waste will yield several benefits as follows;
- The production of methane for use as fuel
- The waste is reduced to slurry which has a high nutrient content which makes and ideal fertilizer
- During the digestion process bacteria in the manure are killed which is a great benefit to environmental health.
Implementation Plan
- Week one to three
- Community mobilization i.e. awareness creation
- Formation of Village Environmental Committee
- Identification of exact plant sites
- Week four to six
- Collection of locally available materials
- Purchase of remaining materials
- Week seven to fourteen
- Biogas Plant Construction
- Training of VECs and stakeholders on plant maintenance
Biogas Application
The introduced biogas will have typical application varieties for one cubic meter of biogas. Small scale biogas digesters will usually provide fuel for domestic, lighting and cooking as follows:
Project Sustainability
The project sustainability will be determined by a number of factors including communal sense of responsibility, knowledge of biogas, technical and extension related issues and public readiness towards project implementation. The day-to-day operation of biogas will need a high level of discipline and routine in order to maintain a high gas production and to ensure long life span of the plant. Sustainable biogas project is those with a comprehensive plan, proper management, continuous monitoring, and however, funding remains a key determinant.
In for the envisaged project to become sustainable, the community will contribute some funds that will play role for maintenance and servicing of the plant, as well will contribute locally available materials for construction of the plant. This is aimed at create full responsibility of the community for the operation and maintenance of its own plant rather than giving them for free.
Village Participation
Active participation of the household members in the planning and realization of the plant will be a primary condition for generating to the sense of ownership which is important for sustainability at the household level. Therefore, the family should be involved in all successful stages of the project implementation i.e. site allocation, planning, setting and construction of the plant, operation and maintenance.
The elected village Environmental Committee should have the following tasks;-
- To select suitable target households in need of the plants
- To locate the plants relevant place in collaboration with the XXXXXX staff
- To arrange for the mobilization of self-help labor as required by the project
- To advise the household members on the allocation of sufficient funds for the sustainable project
Planning
During the planning stage, the villagers and the VECs will assist XXXXXX in recording the village settlement pattern, future project expansion areas, existing plants if any and the use. The location of the biogas plant will take place in close cooperation with the VECs who should organize the required self-help labor for assistance in the construction
Construction of the Biogas Plant
The allocated household should agree to carry out all the unskilled work for the construction of the biogas plant on a self-help basis and training should be started at this stage. After construction the plant should be handed over to the household members and witnessed by the local government authorities at village and ward level together with a document of formal ownership stating the exact responsibilities of the family in respect to operation and maintenance of the plant.
Awareness Education
In order for the community to appreciate and eventually demand for the biogas plants they should be aware of its benefits of such a plant. This awareness education, which is a major condition for the success of the project, should be started in the earliest stage of the project implementation and shall involve all the community members in the village.
The project will also involve strategies of educating the community for them to adopt an environmental knowledge that will be applicable for decades to come and thus poverty eradication, reduction of tree falling within the localities. The training shall be in the following forms; –
- Seminars
- Public meetings
- Workshops
- Participatory evaluation
Expected Long Term Outputs
- Reduced quantities of fuel and charcoal for cooking
- Reduced poverty degree among the community
- Accessibility for rural electricity
- Reduced spending on the other sources of energy
- Reduced deforestation
- Promotion of livestock keeping
- Improved crop fields as there is availability of the produced slurry as a fertilizer
- Published and disseminated information on energy and the management of environment through media
- Capacity building in regard to the biogas technology amongst stakeholders
- Increased number of biogas plant constructed
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Monitoring and Evaluation reporting system of this project will follow implementing agency standard and procedures. The project will use a detailed systematic Monitoring plan as applicable by organization. Meetings, reports (monthly, quarterly and annual) field visits and simple surveys will be employed at different times depending on the nature and type of activities involved. Evaluation as means of assessing the success of the project will be conducted after six months and the main evaluation will be conducted at the end of the project (summative evaluation). All evaluations will be participatory in nature in order to give all key stakeholders an opportunity to learn about the project performance and the target community at large. Monitoring and data tools will be developed. Data will be collected on quarterly basis. Experiences will be documented and disseminated for sharing.
