Uganda: The Fuel in Human Excreta

Human excreta and urine are now an asset to farmers because they are a cheap source of biogas energy. The two offer the best biogas followed by pig and cattle dung.

Banana peels, poultry droppings, water hyacinth and algae are the other organic raw materials that generate biogas. Banana peels and water hyacinth should be mixed with cow dung and poultry droppings to give off good gas after putting them out to dry under the sun for two days to reduce the amount of sap.
Andrew Ndawula, a technician subcontracted by Heifer International Uganda (HIU), revealed this during the recent tour of Heifer biogas beneficiaries by Dr. Sahr Lebbie, the Heifer International vice president of the Africa programme, based in USA.

Heifer International is a worldwide NGO whose mission is to work in partnership with others to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth through sharing livestock and knowledge. Its main goal is to improve food security and the income of needy households, while focusing on the family, gender and environmental protection through sustainable agriculture.

In conjunction with its partners, HIU has initiated the construction of biogas plants among beneficiaries after realising that deforestation is a serious threat to the environment.

“Biogas will slow down the rate of deforestation and its by-products are utilised to improve soil fertility,” said Lebbie. He added that biogas also indirectly reduces the burden of women and children fetching firewood from long distances.

AllAfrica