By Lizzy Carr
The Small Scale Women Farmers Organizations in Nigeria SWOFON with support from UN Women has embark on town hall meetings to create awareness on the use of low-cost biogas technology.
The town hall meetings with community and religious leaders took place in Dass and Bauchi Local government areas of Bauchi State.
National public relations officer of the organization Marka Abbas said the introduction of biogas technology is to help households with cheaper energy source for cooking.
” Today households find it difficult to cook with gas or kerosene and even firewood is beyond their reach noting that biogas technology is an innovation that should be used as an alternative”.
She stated that the town hall meetings with community and religious leaders is to introduce the new technology and to seek their support in creating awareness among their communities.
“Your roles in the community is very vital as you are closer to the people, we solicit your support in talking to your people about the importance of the use of biogas “.
Abbas told the gathering that SWOFON with funding from UN Women is to provide biogas stoves to 250 women from the two pilot local government areas of Bauchi and Dass.
In his presentation on biogas technology a lecturer with the department of chemical engineering ATBU Bauchi, Dr Usman Hamza said biogas can be generated from feed stocks, animal dung, municipal and industrial waste.
Others are from straw, food and market waste.
“Everyday we generate waste in our houses and instead of throwing it away, it can be used to generate biogas by households”.
Usman said biogas is cost effective and environmental friendly.
Program manager Bauchi State Agricultural Development program Yau Mohammed said the world is evolving and people in the need to adapt to new technology.
“If you look around there are no trees for firewood of charcoal and thus embracing biogas is the only alternative for now”.
District head of Miri Husseini Abubakar said biogas promotes cleaning cooking and there is no smoke and can be used by every household including women suffering from asthma.
He added that if accepted by all it will prevent deforestation and mitigate the effects of climate change in our communities.
Representative of the Bauchi State ministry of women affairs, child development and social welfare Esther Patrick said UN Women has been in the State since 2020 providing support to women in the area of peace and security and women mediation among others.
The ministry she noted selected women from across the various communities in the two pilot local government areas to benefit from the biogas stoves.
Others who spoke that include the ward head of Birshi Lawal Ahmed, the chief imam of Gwalaga Juma’at mosque shiekh Ibrahim Idris pledged to create awareness among the people on the importance of biogas technology.