Abstract
The National Biodigester Program (NBP) was established in 2006 to build and maintain household biodigesters in Cambodia. In its first six years, the program installed almost 20,000 biodigesters and established an in-country network of local financiers, construction companies, skilled masons, bioslurry specialists and after-care technicians accessible to rural users in 14 of 24 Cambodian provinces. Since its initial success, the program's adoption rates have stalled despite increasing government support and high rates of user satisfaction. Building on an initial evaluation of the NBP in 2013, this updated assessment identifies multiple changes in its second implementation phase that have undermined the initial momentum of the program. Abrupt interruptions in institutional support, deteriorating supply side services (access to construction agents, masons, repair services) and reduced access to credit for farmers have eroded the service network that the first implementation phase established. Structural changes in the rural economy may also contribute to declining demand. Government support to another biodigester program which offers a lower investment price, but does not provide after-sales services, has also undercut the long-term implementation strategy of the NBP. The paper finds that despite these programmatic changes, the installed biodigesters continue to perform according to expectation and to be maintained and valued by their users, but the future viability of the program remains uncertain.
Highlights
The National Biodigester Program (NBP) was established in 2006 with the aspiration of building and maintaining household biodigesters throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia
This paper provides an update on the status of the NBP and finds that despite increased government support and a stable source of carbon finance, the project has been undermined by other factors
Interviews were usually conducted with a translator, and followed a basic template designed to quantify gains from project participation in terms of income, time, and opportunity costs, while covering qualitative questions on the participants’ assessment of their quality of life in general terms, and the impact of the project on their livelihoods and choices. These data were supplemented by internal NBP documents including biannual Biodigester User Surveys (BUS), Annual Reports highlighting project finances and installations, program design documents, and carbon offset verification reports submitted to the Gold Standard
Summary
The National Biodigester Program (NBP) was established in 2006 with the aspiration of building and maintaining household biodigesters throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia. In 2013, the program was evaluated by independent consultants, who concluded that while NBP had successfully introduced domestic biodigesters into Cambodia, it would be difficult to fully remove subsidies (Buysman & Mol, 2013a). They noted that NBP’s reliance on carbon finance to fund subsidies was unsustainable because carbon markets had been struggling, and that sustained external assistance was needed. A qualitative study on the potential social and economic benefits of biogas in Ghana demonstrates that improvements in health, agricultural productivity, financial savings and environmental sustainability are achievable provided that financial support systems and subsidies are available (Arthur, Baidoo, & Antwi, 2011)
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