BIOGAS TECHNOLOGY AND RURAL WOMEN IN KENYA
In developing countries of Africa especially in Kenya biogas can provide an estimate of 75% energy in their daily household consumption. In the year 1995 the promotion of bio fuel is widely carried out by different government agencies and NGO’s including the Special Energy for Program (SEP), Tunnel Technology Limited (TTL), Christian Intermediate Technology Center (CITC) and Ministry of Energy and Regional Development (MOERD). The promotion of biogas is highly compatible to Kenya because of their tropical and agricultural rich areas. Women and farmers largely make use of excess woods, charcoal, plants and crops residue, agricultural waste and animal manure are their basic raw materials for producing biogas. Biogas helps them to cook their food, generate light in their household while some companies uses biogas to produce electricity in their production.
The old age habit of Women in rural areas of Kenya has somehow benefited in biomass or biogas uses because of their traditional household responsibility of taking care of their family while their husband are away to look for living. Women and girls collect water, food and biogas raw materials early in the morning to provide something for their family and help their husband. Sometimes these practices may somehow hinder their time in education and growth but the production of supplies for their family is their priorities. Usually women will use three stone as their stove and burn biomass raw materials. This provides light and heat but in most cases this is done through inefficient manner in burning that can be the source of emission of unhealthy hazardous chemicals of carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide, nitrogen dioxide and other harmful chemicals that is inhaled by women while their cooking resulting in pulmonary disease, asthma, larynx disease because of blowing, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases because of the smoke they can inhale in burning.
But because of scarcity and non capacity to provide electricity, women in Kenya continue to use biogas to provide food and light for their family. As of today biogas has evolved in production and there are also biogas companies who produce liquid natural gas made from bio materials. Women in Kenya can now buy retail biogas liquid fuel technology produced by these companies and if they do, they would not have to go through the forest to look for woods and other raw materials, they can use their time in taking care of their children. They can buy in liters although they still prefer biogas natural burning because it is free while the biogas fuel commercially available is too high. The government realized such status of women, as of 2005 they have also initialized the study of bio fuel production with the use of Jatropha crops which is a positive source of raw materials to produce bio fuels. This would also require a long study and a bigger government budget allocation.
Because of the safety and health hazards that poses threats for women in Kenya in gathering raw materials the government also made certain subsidies of biogas from different communities in Kenya although this comprise only a very small groups. Biogas liquid fuel production is recognized to be the key to promote a more reliable energy source in Kenya that during the World Summit for Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002 the production of bio fuel in Kenya will be strengthen in key cities to provide more sustainable resources of energy. This will involve infrastructure and plant establishment from different locations but usually this production plants will be owned and operated by different foreign companies. Women also believed that if this would happen then these organizations will also take over their rights to pick woods and other raw materials in farms and forest if they will be the one to manage the farm in exchange of bio fuel. Women are also afraid that if this technological plans will be build in the wrong direction they will be controlled by foreign companies because of their production of bio fuels. This will eventually result in massive poverty and dependency from foreign nationalities while they will continue to produce products coming from their own country which suppose to be their resources.
They also seek the government if these companies will also export their production for this may even provide scarcity through the people of Kenya while the foreign companies will be the one to get rich. One of their biggest fears is that they may even have limited farming and agricultural rights if the foreign bio fuel production companies take control of their land. Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) in Kenya is still positive in this vision, there are certain rules and regulations about pricing standards for household and business consumption that will control the production of bio fuels. This may create different impact in Kenya that this plan will provide safer energy resource, women will be protected from the health hazards of gathering raw materials and burning, this can also provide employment and more sustainable production of energy, cleaner environment friendly bio fuel, they can also provide sustainability and production for growth and equality and this remains to be seen in the next few years.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment