Methane Avoidance
Crediting Period
2026 to 2041
Region
Andhra Pradesh, IndiaTelangana, India
Status
Carbon Validation
Community Benefits
Yes
ID
100000
Registry
Gold Standard
SDGs
05
Fostering Sustainable Development
India is the largest producer of milk in the world. India’s milk supply comes from ~300 million cattle largely owned by over 70 million small and marginal dairy farmers. The waste generated by cattle is generally not handled properly, leading to negative environmental impacts such as methane emissions, contamination of rivers and ground water due to runoff from cattle farms. Being marginal dairy farmers, cattle owners generally lack access to clean cooking methods which leads to significant reduction in indoor air quality and deterioration of health of residents. Affordability of LPG is another key concern for those who have access to clean cooking.
Project timeline
Identification and Engagement of Dairy Farmers
Carbon Validation
Enrollment of Dairy farmers
Installation and Commissioning
Carbon Registration
Project Quality Score
Total Quality Score
Additionality
Verifiability
Robustness of Baseline
Beyond Carbon Impact
Execution Confidence Score
ESG Assessment
The story of a Dairy Farmer in Southern India
About the farmer
Kalindi Anuradha lives in village Chevella in Rangareddy district, Telangana, India. He lives with his family – his father, wife, 1 daughter and 1 son. He relies on dairy farming for his livelihood. He owns three cattle – 2 Ongole cows and 1 Jersey cow. As a family, they earn ~INR 1.1 lakh(USD 1,300) per year. Dairy farming is Kalindi’s family occupation – his father used to do it and he has continued the same. Kalindi and his family heavily rely on cow dung and firewood as a fuel as this is almost free for his family. However, his family suffers from severe health problems due to regular use of these traditional fuels. Kalindi lost his mother to tuberculosis and his wife suffers from chronic bronchitis. While the government medical schemes have been helpful for getting the right treatment for his wife, constant exposure to emissions from traditional fuels while cooking remain a challenge to his wife. Given the low family income switching to cleaner fuels is not a cost-effective proposition to him. Kalindi and his family put in a lot of efforts to keep their home and surrounding clean but management of cow dung has always been a challenge for them. Foul smell and poor hygiene are a given throughout the year, due to poor waste management. While we could only reflect on the story of Kalindi, this remains a story of majority of small dairy farmers in India.
Let’s deep dive into different aspects of the problem and the possible solutions
How cow dung is used by the Dairy farmers in the region (baseline situation):
| Utilization of Cow Dung by small hold farmers | % Cow Dung used | Repercussions/Issues faced by dairy farmers |
|---|---|---|
Fuel for Cooking & Heating | 20% to 30% | Indoor air pollution poses health risks and mortality risks |
High emissions of particulate matter (PM 2.5), release of carbon monoxide, chronic exposure to smoke causes respiratory problems and health diseases | ||
0.6 M annual deaths in India only due to indoor air pollution | ||
Composting & Direct Application as Manure | 25% to 35% | Storage and management of large volumes becomes difficult |
Causes foul odour due to lack of composting pits | ||
Attracts flies and pests due to poor management and causes sanitation issues | ||
Leads to loss of nitrogen if dung is left exposed, reducing its fertilizer value. | ||
Others (Construction Material, Pest Repellant, Religious and Cultural Practices) | 10% | - |
Waste | 30% to 40% | Excess dung dumped in open spaces, causing foul smell and mosquito breeding . |
Runoff from dung pollute nearby bodies | ||
What stats say:
What is the solution to the problem?
Modern Biodigesters are an incredible solution to the problem. Biodigester is a sealed system that converts cattle waste into biogas and a nutrient-rich digestate through anaerobic digestion (Biological process carried out by bacteria in the absence of oxygen).
What are the benefits of Biodigester systems?
| Utilization of Cow Dung by small hold farmers | How biodigesters help? |
|---|---|
Fuel for Cooking & Heating | Biogas – a cleaner burning alternative |
Emits almost no smoke, thereby significantly improving indoor air quality | |
Leads to faster and more efficient cooking | |
Cost Savings – Reduces any reliance on firewood/LPG - dairy farmers save between INR 1000 and 3000 per annum | |
Composting & Direct Application as Manure | Waste is stored in sealed, oxygen free environment, preventing odour, facilitating easy management, preventing flies and pests, prevents ammonia from escaping into the air thereby preserving nitrogen. |
Others (Construction Material, Pest Repellant, etc.) | - |
Waste | Gets minimized to 10-15% with the use of biodigesters. |
What prevents farmers from installing biodigester systems and continue with baseline of traditional cow dung management practices:
Traditional fuel (Cow Dung & Firewood) is free and easily available
High upfront cost gets incurred for setting up biodigester units, typically up to annual savings of a household.
There’s lack of awareness about such solutions and their benefits
Experience of seeing traditional biogas plants was unfavourable as they were constructed using fixed cement structures making them difficult to get serviced and also lacked efficiencies.
Modern Biodigester solution facilitated by carbon finance ensures a long-term solution:
Carbon Credits facilitate carbon finance for mitigating high upfront cost concerns
Evolution of modern biodigester systems
| Feature | Older Biogas Systems | Modern Biogas Plant |
|---|---|---|
Design | Fixed Dome | Modular, pre-fabricated |
Construction | Skilled labour required, civil intensive construction | Quick & Easy Installation |
Gas Production* | 1.2 cu.m/day | 2 cu.m /day |
Temperature Sensitivity | High; performance drops in cold temperatures | Low; leads to consistent production |
Operation & maintenance | Manual feedstock mixing, requires regular cleaning, suffers from frequent clogging | Automatic mixing, negligible maintenance, easy to flush due to flexible structures |
Gas corrodes valves and burners | No corrosion as it comes with scrubbers to remove harmful substances | |
Flexibility & Scalability | Limited sizes (2-3cu.m), cannot be expanded | Various sizes (2-25 cu.m), easily scalable |
Slurry Management | Basic | Optimized system for better performance & odor control |
Project Design:
| Project Details | Design Info | Additional Info |
|---|---|---|
Total Biodigesters | 10,000 | Flexible – can be decreased or increased as per requirement |
Family Size per farmer | 4-Jun | - |
Cattles per farmer | 2-Apr | - |
Size of Biodigester | 2 cu-meter systems | Apt for the 2-4 cattles |
Farmer contribution to biodigester cost | 30% of total cost | |
Geography | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana | Optimal year-round ambient temperature that ensures consistent generation of gas throughout the year |
Baseline Scenario | Use of firewood and cow dung for cooking purpose | |
Remaining cow dung waste is dumped into pits and heaps leading to methane production |
Project Gallery
Beyond carbon impact
