Biodigesters for Smallholder Farmers Watch video

Transform livestock manure into clean cooking gas and organic fertiliser with a biodigester system that reduces costs, cuts emissions, and improves farm productivity whilst supporting sustainable agriculture.

Biodigesters for Smallholder Farmers brings proven waste-to-energy technology directly to small and medium farms worldwide. This initiative transforms animal waste into valuable resources that immediately benefit farming families and their communities.

The system addresses a critical challenge faced by dairy and livestock farmers: managing waste whilst reducing household energy costs and dep...

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Biodigesters for Smallholder Farmers brings proven waste-to-energy technology directly to small and medium farms worldwide. This initiati...

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Join the communities already benefitting from starting a Biodigesters for Smallholder Farmers

You'll get guides and resources on how to bring this idea to life.

There is no funding available for this idea in Canada, but these resources will still help to make your project happen!

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How to start a project on ChangeX

  • 1

    Create your project page

    Click the green start button to register and set up your project page. It’s quick, free and easy.

  • 2

    Complete a 30 Day Challenge

    Complete simple steps in 30 days to get your project off the ground.

  • 3

    Activate your project

    Follow the 5 Step Guide and your action plan to bring the project to life.

  • 4

    Share impact

    Share impact by posting a summary and photos and completing a survey.

Great for

  • Someone who manages a small dairy or livestock farm in the central part of Mexico (Estado de México, Tlacala, Morelos, Puebla, Hidalgo) with at least two cows or five pigs
  • Someone who wants to reduce household energy expenses and eliminate kitchen smoke
  • Someone who seeks to improve soil fertility and reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers
  • Someone who is committed to sustainable farming and reducing their farm's carbon footprint
  • Someone who values energy independence and wishes to produce renewable resources on-farm

Biodigesters for Smallholder Farmers project essentials

5 Step Guide

  • Site Assessment and Application
  • System Installation and Setup
  • Initial Training and Commissioning
  • Establish Daily Routines
  • Ongoing Maintenance and Optimisation

Time

Suggested: 2-3 hours weekly for ongoing feeding and basic maintenance over the system's 20-25 year lifespan.

Resources

More information on how to get started and any resources shared by the Biodigesters for Smallholder Farmers

16 Biodigesters for Smallholder Farmers projects have already been started

Meet the Social Innovator

16 Biodigesters for Smallholder Farmers projects have already been started

Members

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why a 30 day challenge?

    The 30 Day Challenge was developed by our Team based on our experience working with communities. We’ve learned that the first weeks are critical to build momentum and get off to a good start with any community project. Teams who complete these steps within the first month are much more likely to successfully complete their project!

    The Challenge is a series of simple steps that each applicant has to complete to get their project off the ground and unlock funding, if there is funding currently available for that idea in your region. Steps include watching a video and/or reading content, telling us more about your project, forming a team so that you have support, having your first team meeting, sharing a team photo, and sharing a project action plan.

  • What can funding be used for?

    Once funding is received it can be used to cover direct set-up costs of the new community project. For example space rental, insurance fees, seeds and planting materials, tools, training fees; pretty much any materials you might need for a project that benefits your community.

    Funds cannot be used for the costs of work that has already been carried out, costs unrelated to the setup and maintenance of the new project, payments to group members for their work on the project. Funds can’t be used for the promotion of religious causes, non-charitable activities, sponsorship or fundraising events. Please read the terms and conditions for further details.

  • How do I know if there is funding available?

    On idea pages, if there is funding available for the idea in your region you will see “Funding available” and the region listed in the turquoise box. When you first login you will also see a green banner at the top of the screen saying “live funds near you” if there is funding available in your region. The ChangeX homepage will feature those live funds near you.

    A note on the waitlist: when all the funding has been allocated to applicants, new applicants will go on a waitlist. If some applicants that are in the fund don’t successfully complete the 30 Day Challenge their funding will be released and can be then allocated to those on the waitlist. To see if you are going on a waitlist check the main fund page, ideas fully allocated will have the note “Join the waitlist” instead of “Apply to start”.

  • What is ChangeX?

    ChangeX is a platform that connects communities to proven ideas and funding.

    By empowering local changemakers with proven ideas from social innovators and accessible funding from our partners, we aim to build healthier, more inclusive and sustainable communities. Our work is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and together with our partners, we aim to impact 1 billion people globally by 2030.

    • Communities: Get the funding, resources and support you need to start impactful projects in your community.
    • Social innovators: Connect with local changemakers, access funding to scale your idea, and impact more communities globally.
    • Funders: Fund the themes and regions they care most about, with measurable impact, and at global scale.

    We believe that by bringing the best social innovations and the world’s changemakers together in a shared community, we can accelerate the spread of innovations across the world and have a bigger impact. Together we aim to unleash the potential of changemakers by enabling collaboration, by sharing knowledge and resources, by connecting changemakers across different disciplines and innovations and by opening up access to the world’s best proven social innovations to everyone.

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