Empowering women – India | Our carbon offset project portfolio | bp Target Neutral

Biogas, India

India biogas map and UN sustainability goals

Project name

Bagepalli CDM Biogas Programme

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Project location

Chikkaballapur District in Karnataka, India

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Funder and supplier

Supplier: FairClimateFund (FCF),

Developer: ADATS

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Standard

CDM & Gold Standard

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Project status

Operational

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Portfolio

2020

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Emissions reduction

Since 2006, 134,963 credits have been issued. Average is 11,247 tonnes of CO₂e per year

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Information and data provided by project supplier

As urban populations grow and economic opportunities draw disproportionate numbers of men away from the countryside, the role of women in rural communities is changing in countries such as India

By buying carbon offsets, bp Target Neutral is supporting finance for projects that not only reduce carbon but free up time for activities that help women supplement household incomes and enable them to play a wider role in their communities.

The Bagepalli Coolie Sangha Biogas Project in the state of Karnataka in south west India has equipped around 5,485 rural homes with biodigesters and efficient cook stoves that produce low carbon biogas for cooking rather than using solid fuels such as firewood.

Left: Digging out for a new biodigester in the Bagepalli Coolie Sangha biogas project. Centre & right: This biogas unit in the Bagepalli Coolie Sangha biogas project is nearly finished.

How the digesters are built

The biodigesters turn animal dung into low carbon gas thereby reducing reliance on non-sustainable fuels for cooking.

By not burning firewood, the project further reduces carbon emissions as well as cutting indoor air pollution and the threat of respiratory disease in the home.

Above: Households in the Bagepalli Coolie Sangha biogas project find cooking on biogas is much cleaner and more efficient than firewood. Also, the biogas slurry is a powerful fertilizer for agricultural activities and deforestation of the area.

I cook in the morning before I go to work. I can now work more because cooking takes less time. Therefore, I make more money which I spend on groceries. From the smoke I was coughing, had headaches and burning eyes. But since I use the biogas stove, I am fine”Bharati

And by using biogas and an efficient gas stove, women no longer spend significant time each day searching for and collecting firewood and then preparing traditional stone or clay stoves for cooking meals. This means there are greater opportunities for more productive and rewarding work and time for family.

To date, the project has reduced carbon emissions by more than 134,000 tonnes of CO₂e.

Rich people use gas for cooking and since I use biogas, I feel rich too. Before, I would leave at 08.00 hours to fetch firewood and I would be back around noon. It took me about 16 hours per week to fetch firewood. I had to carry the whole bundle of wood on my head when I went home, and also because I had to cut the wood into smaller pieces. If I didn't have to fetch wood then I would start cooking at 06.00 hours in the morning and finish around 09.00 hours. I can cook faster now, so my kids are on time for school. Also, I can work now. I am very grateful.”Narsamma

Find out how this project is changing lives

1. Source: Figures from ICROA survey Kountouris, Y., Makuch, Z., Tan Loh, E.F. (2014) ‘Quantification and Evaluation of the Voluntary Carbon Market’s Co-benefits’, Imperial College London University June 2014

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