FROM WASTE TO ENERGY: THE PATH TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT

When I first thought about what I was going to write the first thing that came to my mind when seeing the word rural development was farmers (I’m sure that the same thing happened to many of you). Then I started to go deeply into the subject. I asked myself a question, is it  possible for  farmers, the ones who give us the food we daily have on our tables, to be poor and not have enough to live on?

Please, watch the video below to understand the gravity of the problem:

Food Waste – A Story of Excess

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Investigating a little more I noticed with surprise that the amount of food that is thrown away in the process of agriculture is gigantic. Why are the reasons behind this? Some “standards” of quality that have established the supermarkets and countries.

For 70% of the world’s poor living in rural areas, agriculture is the main source of income and employment. (http://datos.bancomundial.org/tema/agricultura-y-desarrollo-rural)

When we talk about poverty we talk about lack of energy for cooking, heating food, heating  the home and lack of electricity. Not having electricity means less chance of development. Food waste being a fact, what can we do? Something very simple as BIOGAS.

Biogas: how it works

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Methane Biodigester

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After watching the videos that explain very well how can we  produce biogas in a very simple way, the amount of biogas emitted in the process will be used to power an engine generator that will produce electricity that can be used to consumption. Also, the waste heat of the engine can be for heating .

With electricity children can study , can go to school and become literate . With biogas we can cook and heat food without damaging your health or the environment . It can be used as biofuel and also another great benefit is that waste can also get compost and bio fertilizer that helps the quality of agricultural land.

Thus we see that not only telling the farmers what they need to do is the key , the important part of this type of projects is working with them. The idea is to achieve capacity building , community engagement and empowerment. We need to stablish such a strong engagement that they will be able to hold it in a sustainable way and keep learning but also teaching .

And YES, all of this out of food waste.

Now I ask you a question , do you believe that food waste can help rural development ? The answer is here:

BIOTECH, India, Turning food waste into biogas – Ashden Award winner

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Biogas Documentary by Pakistan Domestic Biogas Programme

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Sources:

http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicador#topic-1

http://www.fao.org/sd/erp/workshopafrica2007/wdr08_focus_erp_en.pdf

http://www.fao.org/europe/activities/land-tenure/rural-development/en/

http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x9808e/x9808e00.htm

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTARD/0,,menuPK:336688~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:336682,00.html

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/02/19/passion-to-succeed-sri-lanka-farmer-overcomes-poverty

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