Traditionally, Indian households have used firewood or charcoal for cooking. This project provides a clean, sustainable energy alternative while addressing a number of health and sanitation issues and contributing to the economic development of the community.

More than 75% of households in Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh; the project area, still depend on firewood and wood chips for cooking. Many hours are spent each day; especially by women and children, cutting and collecting firewood. Deforestation of nearby wooded areas and erosion are the result. Due to the length of time required to collect firewood, water is often not boiled long enough to kill bacteria, or food is cooked which requires less cooking time but has a lower nutritional value - with obvious effects on family health. The daily exposure to smoke from wood-fuelled stoves has also led to a high rate of respiratory illnesses such as asthma, pneumonia and lung cancer as well as a condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In India alone, 500,000 women and children die prematurely each year due to illnesses related to indoor air pollution.

The household biogas projects in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh have improved the situation significantly for local families and their environment. The key environmental benefits of the project are reduced deforestation and consequently reduced erosion. The project will prevent the emission of almost 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Women and children now spend far less time on meeting their families’ energy needs. They are less likely to shorten cooking time which improves the nutritional value of meals as well as safety and hygiene in the household.

Animal excrement is collected and stored in impermeable digesters where, due to a process of natural fermentation, a biogas is produced which can be used for cooking, lighting and heating water. A byproduct of the biogas digestion process is slurry which is used as organic fertilizer, and has in turn led to a significant improvement of crop yields.

The achieved emission reductions will be validated under the Gold Standard. The Gold Standard is the highest internationally recognized standard for emission reduction projects and puts special emphasis on promoting sustainable development through climate protection projects.