Jean Marc Sika

Debrezeit is small and beautiful city situated at about 50 kms in the south east of Addis Ababa in Oromia Region Ada woreda. When the National Biogas Programme in Ethiopia mid-2008, it was one of the first regions of the country to be covered. There are actually 22 operational biogas households in the Ada woreda and 15 are based in the urban center of Debrezit. I visited of the urban households and to share their feelings about this new product

Madam Azmera Mesafnt is head of a family of 6 persons; she resigned 11 years ago from her civil servant job to become a dairy farmer. She own 8 heads of hybrid cattle in her yard of 450 m2 of land. In August 2008, she invested 6 000 Ethiopian Birr (about 326 €) in a digester (the second constructed in Ethiopia under the national programme). Fed with 80 kgs of dunk, mixed with the same quantity of water, it produces more than enough gas everyday to cover her cooking and lighting needs so that she is sometime obliges to reduce the feeding. Her installation works perfectly and since August 2008, she has only change the main valve. Interviewed by the Ethiopian TV some month ago, she declares that the benefits of biogas in her life are multiples: I am free from smoke and have installed my kitchen in the main house, my time is saved because of fast cooking, I save money to the amount of approximately 300 birr (17 €) per month from kerosene, wood fuel and charcoal. I also use biogas to boil drinking water. Finally, I now legally practice my farming in town. Before, it was forbidden by the municipality because of the sanitation conditions and nuisances for the neighbors (smell). Thanks to biogas, this is no more a concern and my farming has been legalized.

Mr. & Mrs. Ashenafi Tekest and Bogalech Beru share the same opinions. Three months ago, this retired couple based in the urban center of Debrezit, equipped their very clean compound of 500 m2 with a 8 m3 biogas plant at a cost of 11 000 Ethiopian Birr (598 €). Since two months, it is operational and produces enough gas for the cocking needs. They have then stop buying charcoal, fuel wood and kerosene.

When the programme came to Debrezit, Mme Bogalest Beru saw it as an opportunity to do dairy farming in a clean way and without nuisances for her neighbors. She could easily convince her husband, former driver, who had seen biogas plant operating in the North and the benefit provided to its owners. Despite the distance between the digester and the stable (about 40 to 50 meters) feeding the digester is an easy task that consumes 10 to 20 minutes of her time every morning. This time is easily recovered in the fast cooking. Beyond this, the couple saves money (500 Ethiopian Birr or approximately 27 €) per month. For Mr. Ashenafi, another benefit is that when his wife is not around, he can easily prepare his food.

Mr. Tariku who has one of the 11 installations constructed last year was absent at the moment of our visit. One of his family members could guide us through a short visit of this compound equipped with a 6m3 digester. The stable is linked by a tunnel to the inlet pipe and help collecting cow urine. The slurry pit has an opening that allows slurry to flow in part of the yard and facilitate the composting. The composted slurry is sold at 12 Ethiopian Birr a bag of 15kg to neighboring farmers.

Jean Marc Sika