The proposed project development objectives are:
- Reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide.
- Increase access to modern household cooking fuel from renewable energy sources
The project will produce additional benefits in addition to those listed as development objectives. It will reduce the demand for scarce biomass resources in rural areas, which will aid in Nepal’s efforts to reduce deforestation. It will also improve health, especially in women and children, by reducing IAP levels in homes adopting biogas technology and will improve sanitation through its linkage to increased installation of toilets connected to the biogas reactor. It will improve rural agricultural productivity through the creation of a nutrient-rich byproduct of biogas production which can be used as a fertilizer to improve crop yields. Improved agricultural yields of 6% to 20% have been observed when the bio slurry was utilized as organic fertilizer in Nepal.
Furthermore, the project will also have a positive social impact by reducing the amount of time required for collection of fuelwood for household needs. Per household, the workload of women and girls can be reduced by about 3 hours per day with the introduction of biogas stoves. This time previously spent on firewood collection, chopping and cooking could now be spent on income generating or other social activities such as increased education.