Why do farmers take up biodigesters?

This SEI discussion brief assesses the adoption of biodigesters among livestock farmers in Bangladesh. The study finds that while small and mid-sized privately owned biodigesters provide health, environmental, and economic benefits, the government's policy goal of establishing collectively owned 'community' biodigesters for small-scale and landless farmers has not been realized due to a lack of social capital and group financing.

• The study found no evidence of biodigesters that were collectively owned or managed by small-scale or landless farmers, despite the goals of Bangladesh’s Integrated Livestock Manure Management (ILMM) policy. The authors suggest the term "community biodigester" is misrepresentative and recommend focusing on functional capacity instead.
• Barriers to the adoption of collectively owned biodigesters include a lack of community-based organizations and social capital to support operation, as well as a lack of financing for self-organizing groups. Microfinance loans were available to individuals with collateral or guarantors, but not to associations.
• Biodigesters provide health and environmental benefits by reducing cooking smoke and the amount of unmanaged manure and run-off. Socio-economic benefits include fuel security for households and, for those with mid-sized digesters, the ability to sell excess biogas and organic fertilizer to the community and markets.
• The basic requirements for a livestock farmer to install and operate a biodigester are access to finance, technical knowledge, sufficient land, and a steady supply of livestock or manure. For small biodigesters, this specifically requires at least three or four cows and a flat, non-waterlogged land area of at least 5 x 10 metres.
• Microfinance is the primary funding mechanism for small biodigesters, with organizations like Grameen Shakti and BRAC providing loans with interest rates between 6% and 13% and repayment periods of one to ten years. Mid-sized biodigesters are often approached by the Rural Development Academy (RDA).
• Women play a critical role in manure management and are the primary users of biogas, meaning they have a substantial influence on the adoption of these technologies. The authors recommend that future research specifically examine women's roles in adoption pathways.

APA

Biskupska, N., Pravalprukskul, P., & Osborne, M. (2019). Why do farmers take up biodigesters? Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/1708f-gill-osborne-biodigesters-bangladesh-100719-1.pdf

Chicago

Biskupska, Natalia, Pin Pravalprukskul, and Matthew Osborne. Why do farmers take up biodigesters? Stockholm Environment Institute, 2019. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/1708f-gill-osborne-biodigesters-bangladesh-100719-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Biskupska |first1=Natalia |last2=Pravalprukskul |first2=Pin |last3=Osborne |first3=Matthew |title=Why do farmers take up biodigesters? |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=July 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/1708f-gill-osborne-biodigesters-bangladesh-100719-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{biskupska2019why, author = {Biskupska, Natalia and Pravalprukskul, Pin and Osborne, Matthew}, title = {{Why do farmers take up biodigesters?}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/1708f-gill-osborne-biodigesters-bangladesh-100719-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }