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IOM through the Livelihoods Recovery Projects is kicking-off a road show to introduce biogas technology to earthquake-affected villages. On its first day IOM took its ‘mobile biogas unit’ to Jotangan village in Klaten district, Central Java, where the community can witness firsthand the benefit of biogas as an alternative, economical and environmentally-friendly source of energy. This campaign will continue on to other villages across Central Java and Yogyakarta during the next few months.
This project aims to promote the adoption of biogas as an alternative source of energy. “We believe that a conversion to biogas can tremendously reduce household expenses, secure sustainable livelihoods and at the same time protect the environment,” says Johan Grundberg, Project Manager of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Yogyakarta sub-office.
IOM designed and developed this innovative biogas technology in partnership with the Agricultural Training, Research and Development Station (KP4) of the Gadjah Mada University (UGM). IOM and UGM are also constructing six in-ground biogas plants in Tuksono, Semoyo and Sumberagung villages in Yogyakarta province. The IOM-JRF Livelihoods Recovery Project has targeted earthquake-affected livestock and tofu producers for adoption of the facilities as these sectors have access to manure and waste in quantities sufficient for biogas production to be feasible.
Armein Sopakuwa, Construction Coordinator at IOM Yogyakarta, says: “The IOM-KP4 biogas plants produce clean energy for household or enterprise consumption. After an initial investment in the system there is no need to spend money on fuel and no more smoke from wood or charcoal. While biogas systems produce excellent fertilizers for use on the farm, they can also help in the fight against global warming by allowing us to burn methane from organic waste, instead of letting it escape into the atmosphere where it adds to the greenhouse effect.”
The IOM-JRF Livelihoods Recovery Project, which is funded by the multi donor grant facility Java Reconstruction Fund (JRF), has supported the recovery of more than 3,000 earthquake-affected micro- and small enterprises since March 2008 and entered its ‘extension phase’. In this final phase, the project focuses on government capacity-building and community-based disaster risk management activities while aiming to consolidate the future sustainability of assisted micro- and small enterprises and ensure a smooth handover of the project to local governments and communities. |
