Energy on the farm
In this issue we take a closer look at the ways small-scale farmers have managed to make more efficient use of the energy sources available to them.
Agriculture is about converting solar energy into biomass products such as food, fodder, fibre and fuel. Small-scale farmers manage this process using the limited additional energy resources available to them, such as their own labour or animal power.
To efficiently use the energy available in the farming system, it is important to integrate the different components such as crops, animals and microorganisms so that they support each other and maximise the flow of energy and nutrients within the farm. The energy present in residual biomass can be recycled back into the farm; and renewable natural resources such as the sun, wind and flowing water can also provide much needed additional energy.
LEISA Magazine • 21.1 • March 2005
Table of contents:
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2 - 3
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4 - 4written by ILEIA editorial teamAgriculture is about converting solar energy into biomass to feed humans and animals. It is important to integrate the different components of the farming system so that they support each other and maximises the flow of energy and nutrients within the farm. The efficient use and recycling of biomass on the farm is an important step towards achieving a higher level of energy self-sufficiency, and the use of solar, wind and water energy can provide much needed additional energy. However, with the range of technological solutions available, it is often easy to forget the involvement of the people for whom the solution is being sought. The most appropriate energy solutions can be found by working together with local communities and carefully considering the technological options that will best meet the energy requirements of men as well as women.
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5 - 7written by David Pimentel , Marcia PimentelMuch of the world's agriculture was, and still is, carried out by hand. Once fossil energy supplies started to become available, industrialized agricultural production began to develop. Although the current industrialized agricultural systems based on high fossil inputs are relatively productive, their sustainability is questionable.
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8 - 12written by T.R. PrestonIn the past, biodigesters have been considered mainly as a way to produce combustible gas from waste organic matter. If integrated into an ecological farming system, however, a biodigester can provide many other benefits, in particular the recycling of nutrients into high quality fertilizer. This article provides a description of the design and function of a lowcost plastic (polythene) biodigester.
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13 - 13written by Anyanzo Thomas AbbeyIn Uganda, Kulika Charitable Trust are promoting the use of biogas as an alternative source of energy, especially among farmers who have zero grazing units with Friesian cattle or exotic goats. Kulika selects practicing farmers and trains them in organic agriculture and farmer-to-farmer extension. This article outlines practical aspects and some results of the programme.
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14 - 15written by Luis Gomero OsorioAttempts to introduce biodigesters for biogas production have previously been unsuccessful in Peru. Recently, a national network of organizations promoting alternatives to agrochemicals has once again been promoting biodigesters. Instead of focusing on biogas, however, this project has focused on the by-products of the anaerobic decomposition that takes place in a biodigester: the liquid fraction called biol and the solid fraction or biosol, which are excellent fertilizers for a variety of crops. A small biodigester is enough to produce these fertilizers and most farmers have enough manure to be able to make use of the technique.
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16 - 16written by Ulises Moreno , Carmen Felipe-MoralesThe biodigester of the small Peruvian ecological farm \"Bioagricultura Casa Blanca\" has been working efficiently ever since its construction 10 years ago. It operates on the manure of 900 -1,000 guinea pigs and produces organic liquid (biol) and solid (biosol) fertilizer, as well as biogas.
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17 - 17In the semi-arid Mwingi District in Eastern Kenya, Joseph Ututu and his three brothers have revolutionized the local water supply by digging wells and constructing a windpump. The ingenious windpump that the brothers constructed from old bicycle parts and roofing materials was designed by Joseph Ututu, who had spent four years at technical college. The wells have solved the brother’s water problems and provided considerable additional income. Since they began, more than 30 wells have been dug by neighbours.
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18 - 19The Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal has been working to improve the traditional water mills in Kavre district, to meet the increasing processing needs of farmers and maintain relative self-sufficiency by avoiding dependence on new diesel mills. The main improvement is the replacement of the wooden runners and shafts with more durable and better designed metal parts. This strategy has helped interested entrepreneurs to improve their traditional mills with limited investments and has substantially helped to meet the agro-processing needs of local farming communities.
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20 - 21written by Carol Herrera , Saúl RamírezThe Salazar family in Cajamarca, Peru has been working in the milk chilling business for seven years. In 2001, after three years of struggling to meet the operational costs of their diesel engine, Rosa and her oldest son Javier became aware of the existence of a project promoting small hydroelectric power plants as an energy alternative for isolated areas. They took advantage of the technical and financial assistance offered by the project for the installment of small-scale hydro power turbines, making it possible to start tapping a local, renewable energy source that will help meet the energy needs of the local community for years to come.
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22 - 23written by Thomas Mansouri , Alain GuinebaultSince the early 1980s GERES (Renewable Energy and Environment Group) has tried to improve conditions in the high and remote Ladakh region using passive solar architecture. A particular challenge has been to develop, with valuable input from farmers, a greenhouse for agricultural production to increase access to winter vegetables. The experience in Ladakh has shown that passive solar architecture can be successfully applied for agricultural uses.
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24 - 25written by Víctor M. Berrueta Soriano , Fernando Limón AguirreDrying is a critical aspect of coffee processing, since the quality and price of the coffee beans depend on how dry they are and also the way in which they have been dried. Even though coffee has been cultivated for decades the technologies used for drying are limited. In 2001 El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) initiated a participatory research process to develop a solar coffee dryer with a group of organic coffee producers in Tziscan, Chiapas, Mexico.
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26 - 27written by Ian CherrettIn the Lempira Sur region of Honduras, unsuccessful attempts to introduce cookstoves led to a reassessment of the project’s strategy. Although the negative effects of the traditional open-hearth system were clear to women, the smoke from the fires helped preserve the family grains and when faced with the choice of new improved stoves or post-harvest losses, the stoves lost out every time. Improving the situation required a series of steps had to be taken at the same time: increasing yields through an agroforestry (Quesungual) system based on maximizing soil coverage; reducing the price of storage silos and making available new models of cheap cooking stoves, which could be easily built using local materials.
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28 - 29written by Ishara MahatThe Rural Energy Development Programme in Nepal aimed to take a holistic and participatory approach to development, including the empowerment of women. This article looks at the impact of the programme on women in Kavre district, including some of the factors which influenced the outcome of the programme for women in two villages where it has had varying degrees of success.
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30 - 31written by Rik ThijssenIn the rural areas of Kenya, fuelwood remains the main source of energy for cooking, and women are responsible for ensuring a sufficient supply of fuel for their households. However, pressure on natural resources is increasing and at the same time, tribal taboos denied women access to and control over trees on family land. This article describes the approach of the Kenya Woodfuel Development Programme to give women better access to fuelwood by raising awareness, discussing the situation with clan elders, and providing technical assistance to the communities.
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32 - 33The 2004 Reader’s Survey was distributed to all subscribers of the LEISA Magazine together with the June 2004 issue of the global edition, and was also made available on the LEISA website. By asking readers 19 questions, we tried to answer two questions of our own: “Who are the readers?” and “How is the Magazine useful to them?”. Here are some of the results.
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34 - 34written by Mike Bridgwater , Anyanzo Thomas AbbeyUsing charcoal briquettes to brood chicks in Uganda (by Anyanzo Thomas Abbey), and experiences with cookers in Tanzania (by Mike Bridgewater)
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38 - 39Click the URL to go to the website directly.
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40 - 40written by Marilyn Minderhoud-JonesFarmers in many parts of the Cameroon are becoming very familiar with the telephone service Allô ingénieur launched by the Central Africa Question and Answer Service. The Question-and-Answer Service is now firmly established throughout the ACP countries and every day local centres receive a wide variety of questions from a diverse range of people including local authority staff, NGOs, agricultural associations and training institutes as well as representatives of farm-input and machinery suppliers, rural entrepreneurs and packaging, storage and transport agencies.
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