Biogas : The Indian NGO Experience

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. The evaluation study. 3. Performance of biogas plants. 4. Direct benefits of biogas technology. 5. Environmental benefits of biogas technology. 6. Motivation and technology promotion. 7. Quality assurance and capacity building. 8. Repair and maintenance strategy. 9. Women's involvement in the biogas programme. 10. Financial arrangements. 11. Technology development. 12. Programme management and strategic planning. 13. The AFPRO-CHF experience: a synthesis. Appendices.

"Biogas is an environment friendly and economically viable source of energy in the rural areas. Biogas technology has been disseminated in India through the National Project on Biogas Development (NPBD), Government of India. As of now, over 2.5 million biogas plants have been installed in the country.

Action for Food Production (AFPRO), a non-governmental organization (NGO), has played a leading role in the field-level implementation of NPBD on a large scale, through a network of about 100 NGOs spread throughout India. This initiative has been funded by the Canadian International Development Agency under a partnership programme between AFPRO and the Canadian Hunger Foundation (CHF). In a period spanning more than a decade, over 97 000 biogas plants have been installed all over the country through this network. The achievements under the AFPRO-CHF network can be a model for replication in other areas and the feedback would assist in both planning and policy issues related to rural energy programmes.

The Tata Energy Research Institute has undertaken an evaluation study of the AFPRO-CHF biogas programme. The findings of the study include detailed case studies and recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of the programme. This book documents and analyses the experiences of various NGOs in the network which are relevant for the biogas programme and other similar developmental programmes on rural and renewable energy"