How many times have you prepared a meal today? On a typical day at home, I’d say I use my stove or microwave three or four times. I cook eggs for breakfast, microwave oatmeal. Steam veggies for my daughter a couple of times, and cook dinner for my husband and myself. Until my trip to Africa, I hadn’t thought much about the convenience of being able to fix a warm meal any time I felt like it.
For the vast majority of families–women, really–in rural Uganda (okay, lots of countries), cooking means something entirely different.
Through the photographer’s lens, this scene has a romantic feel to it. It reminds me of camping. But camping usually only lasts a weekend, not a lifetime.
Cut and collect firewood. Start and maintain the fire. Breathe the smoke and soot. Teach your daughter the same.
Compare this:
With this:
Which would you prefer, day in and day out? Biogas is an affordable, accessible alternative that frees a woman from the tedium that comes with cooking over an open fire. It is better for her health, and for that of her children. Stay tuned to see other reasons biogas is important.
Thanks for the post. I am curious as to the upfront and maintenance costs of a system like this in Uganda. Can you share some further details?
Hi John!
Biogas installations can be very expensive, especially with larger livestock units. However, with units for individual families, we often see governments sharing costs such that the farmer puts in the labor and the government provides the technical goods. Some units are quite simple – consisting of a plastic bladder that houses the fermentation. More permanent units are constructed underground as metal or concrete domes. These more substantial units will last for years. Farm families do need to learn how to maintain them, with daily application of fresh manure, often mixed with water, and periodic removal of the spent solids out to the fields.