Challenges are mounting for rural, Nepalese farming families. Chandra from Surkhet District says that climate change means she can no longer grow, press and sell linseed and mustard oil, as she did a decade ago. Meanwhile, her wheat and maize crops are getting smaller every year. What’s more: in 2016, a warm-weather pest (Tuta Absoluta) was spotted in the country, threatening income from tomato crops.
But while the outlook might look crappy for Chandra, Renewable World sees a golden opportunity to introduce ‘Bag Digesters’ which turn livestock waste into sustainable fuel and fertiliser to enrich degraded topsoil, improve yields and enable farmers to try out new crops and increase income.
Community-use digesters risk neglect if nobody takes the lead, so Renewable World has asked local entrepreneurs to take charge of each of 12 bag digesters they’re installing in communities across the Surkhet and Banke districts in Nepal. Getting the incentives right will mean that these bag digesters are still working for communities 10 or 20 years after Renewable World moves on to green other pastures.
Posted on January 20, 2022