Katrin Pütz uses low-tech innovation to help rural communities establish village-level biogas systems It’s about time we give people on the margin dignity and responsibility, demands Katrin Pütz of Hohenheim University. And she has a solution: Enter the Biobag. A four layered, gas tight, one cubic meter bag that can be worn as a backpack. The Biobag is part of a greater village level biogas system value chain. The envisioned system allows for capital investment, usually from commercial farmers or other investors, to finance the construction of a biogas plant. From here small-scale farmers can sell their animal’s dung to the biogas plant owner. Village residents can then bring their reusable Biobag to the plant to fill it up with fuel. Solving rural poverty can be just this simple, anticipates Pütz.

Behind the idea

After working in Rwanda on an agricultural project with farmers Pütz saw how development aid was working. She also saw how it created dependencies. “I became angry about how people were being treated,” reflects Pütz. She started to study again, but this time doing her master’s in agricultural engineering. It was during this time she learned about biogas and knew: “This is it!” Pütz’s self-designed Biobag and her proposed system has been created with these issues in mind. She is now putting it to the test in Ethiopia.

Meaningful design with purposeful gaps

“I would like to deliver an idea that is open enough for people to adjust it to their own ideas,” emphasizes Pütz. For this reason Pütz has left many gaps in the value chain purposefully open in order to encourage local solutions by individuals and communities. During her presentation in Production Systems on the Margin I: Crop Production Systems on 6 October 2011, one audience member identified another gap: Is it economically viable? “This can’t be answered yet. It depends on the area. Is wood available for free? If yes, it would be hard to market in an area where firewood is available,” responded Pütz. However, she argues that this is not the case in Ethiopia, where the main dish, injera flatbread, consumes large quantities of fuel in its preparation. Pütz says that many forests are under severe pressure due to the inefficient method of cooking. Myles Oelofse from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, also questioned whether biogas is a sustainable solution to fuel consumption, as it will remove potential nutrients from the soil system. Ethiopia, commented Pütz, has one of the world’s highest cattle populations, and this would not have a direct effect on the agricultural system.

Ideology change

“We have to change something in our thinking as white people. We need to change our ideology,” She refuses to have organizations in developing countries financially support the Biobag project. Instead, she thinks that if national governments and other investors are interested in setting up the Biobag biogas system in rural communities they should own up to it themselves and finance it. So far she has submitted a proposal to the Government of Ethiopia, who is interested in financing Biobag biofuel systems in the country. For her, this is a means of investment to make a system of self-reliance possible. Beyond this, Pütz has been able to catch the attention of African investors. During a two-month trip to Ethiopia she pitched the idea to a group of energy sector investors that meets regularity in the capital, Addis Abba. From there things started moving forward, she received calls from all sorts of interested stakeholders: “I don’t know where they got my number from,” she says puzzled, but pleased, “but the information spread very quickly!” Ethiopia is a perfect place to start. It is a country with a huge potential for biogas due to an open-minded society, argues Pütz.

Beyond the bag

Pütz is not just thinking Ethiopia when she envisions the biogas model she has created. She is thinking Africa. Nevertheless, the first pilot project will take place in Ethiopia. “Usually we develop something in Europe and then come with the money on how to implement it in Africa,” criticizes Pütz. She wants to see the bags being produced in Africa. This in turn will make them cheaper, as they are currently valued between 30-40€ when produced in Europe. Additionally, it will help create local jobs.