Farmers use biomass, reduce carbon footprints

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Bangalore: Kabbigere village in Tumkur district is like any other in the country you would think. But that was 10 years ago. Today, this village, like 28 others in Tumkur is a model in green living for the rest of the country. All thanks to Biomass Energy For Rural India Project (BERI), a project of the state government and the UNDP.

So what really is Biomass? Biomass is plant material, vegetation, or agricultural and even animal waste which can be used as a fuel or energy source.

"The concept is to develop technology packages to produce energy on decentralised mode so that rural people can get energy easily and also to use biomass to produce green energy to reduce CO2 emissions at the global level which also has an impact on climate change issues. Another advantage is local benefit like people can use energy efficient systems and methods to see that the energy is used very efficiently,” says Project Coordinator, BERI, Dr M H Swaminath.

Started in 2001, this project has brought light into hundreds of villager's lives.

Laxmi is one of them. Laxmi's house like the whole village is now getting electricity through biomass based gasifier systems, pumping drinking water, irrigating their lands and using it for cooking purposes as well thanks to the BERI initiative.

"Earlier we used to use wood that made the whole house smoky and the vessels black. After switching to this gas the vessels are cleaner, the house is not smoky and we are also living happily,” says Laxmi.

But that’s not about it. Laxmi and the other villagers are involved in activities like bio-mass production, regeneration of plantation, cutting of bio-mass and supplying to this plant and also in organic farming and other agricultural practises.

"Right now this project is aiming at helping 4,000 families in this cluster of 28 villages. Finally this project idea is to promote this concept at the national level and then at the global level. Also in due course of time would like to implement this at the state level and in many more places, also at the national level,” says Dr Swaminath.

Climate change today is an inconvenient truth. But using appropriate bio-energy technology will not only reduce green house gas emissions but also help meet rural energy requirements in a sustainable manner.