Torres Family – Setaa Communities, Sowers of Territories, Waters and Autonomies
Colombia, Antioquia, Peque
2019
Transition Area
Fair Energetics
- Alternative energy supply
- Energy efficiency
- Changing patterns of use and consumption
- Energy access for local communities, health self-management
- Heat generation
For approximately seven years they have been participating in a community process that has given them the opportunity to receive training, learn about experiences, learn and listen to other people who, like them, are concerned about improving their quality of life.
The arrival of a biodigester to their community came about thanks to the curiosity that many had, since in an activity of the SETTA group of communities they were told about this way of using the waste from the garden and the fecal matter of the pigs to generate gas, eliminate odors, take care of the planet and not cut down for firewood.
When they had the opportunity, 5 years ago, to have the materials and the people willing to teach them and to work, the first biodigester was built in a neighbor’s house, that first experience brought the curiosity of some people who, although they did not belong to their group, were interested in learning about this way of generating gas.
The second experience was three years ago, in the house of a member of the group, this time more people from the village and the region, asked and wanted to go and learn about the process, many people wanted to build their own biodigesters on their farms.
Two years ago they began the process with the biodigester on their farm, this time the construction was much more exciting, because the process involved some people from the village who do not belong to the group, but who want to learn about cleaner energy and autonomy. Some children and the group of young people from SETTA communities also participated, and they are very happy to see that it is the children who are interested in learning and teaching.
Technical characteristics of the proposal
In the construction of this biodigester, different materials were used that were found on the farm and others that were brought from Medellín.
The materials used were: plastics, PVC piping, tanks, hoses, regulators, faucets and other construction materials.
At the moment, the biodigester ‘Camino al sueño de mi vida’ is fed by the fecal matter of 16 pigs, 4 lactating or pregnant sows and 12 pigs between one and a half and 20 days old.
The gas generated is sufficient for use in the family kitchen and a little more, so it is planned in the short term, take advantage of the excess gas, taking it to the coffee dryer and in the future to take it to other homes.
Productive, community, environmental, or economic processes or activities that were positively impacted by the implementation of the community experience of TEJ.
Currently, the biodigester benefits one family by generating enough gas for kitchen use; they plan to expand the generation capacity to enable them to have an enterprise that generates resources.
Beneficiaries of the experience
1 family composed of 1 woman, 1 man and 1 child (0 to 12 years)
Achievements and problems encountered during implementation
ACHIEVEMENTS:
- The first achievement of the biodigester ‘Camino al sueño de mi vida’ has to do with improving the quality of life of the people in the family. The biodigester generates enough gas to feed the kitchen, which has reduced the cost of purchasing gas pipes, improving the family’s economic conditions.
- The second achievement refers to the improvement of natural resource conditions in the region, since having gas minimizes the need to use firewood for cooking, avoiding the felling of trees.
- Another achievement identified is related to the use of products in the farm’s agricultural processes, since the fertilizer generated by the biodigester allows them to replace the fertilizers traditionally used by people in the area. Now they have healthier fertilizers without investing money in buying them.
- Finally, they see as an achievement of their biodigester to be able to link and empower women and children of the area in the process, since women always believed that they could not do things, without realizing our own strength, this has led several women in the area to be interested in learning about different alternatives to generate and own the energy of their home.
PROBLEMS:
- High costs of construction materials and their transportation.
- Construction was delayed as it could not start on the planned day.
- One side of the biodigester broke and had to be rebuilt, and the composting pit fell down.
- After overcoming the first apprenticeships with the construction, they started the purchase of the pigs and had some inconveniences due to lack of information, as they did not know much about how many pigs and how they should buy them, some of them got sick and they had to invest a lot in medicines for them. People told them very different things about raising pigs, so they have had to experiment a lot in order to learn and have enough material to be able to generate the gas.
- Another inconvenience was related to the installation of the gas stove, which never worked. This was solved by adapting a stove that was not being used and after some modifications, they were able to put it to work.
- Now, gas generation is sufficient and surplus, they identify that they require an alternative to be able to store or move that gas. For example, during the coffee drying season, this surplus gas could be used in the gas dryer or could be used in other parts of the farm or shared with other families.
- As they generate more gas, they also generate more compost, and the bucket used for collection has become too small, so it is necessary to increase the collection capacity and the distribution of compost throughout the farm. For example, they see as a drawback the fact that they do not have hoses to deliver fertilizer directly to the crops.
Women’s participation in the TEJ community experience
Women in this experience and in almost all community processes in the village have led, this is evidenced not only in the community processes of the region, but also within the group where most of them are women.
Some mothers who are heads of households, others single mothers, have participated in the planning, construction and execution of this experience. Having this biodigester on the farm serves as an example and a lesson for other people who also want to build one at home.
This experience has shown them that women are very interested in learning, improving their crops, developing productive projects, and having tools that allow them to improve their quality of life and that of their families and community. They have learned to be more independent and to lead their children along the path of autonomy and love for the environment and animals.
In this experience, the women who participated were able to admire themselves and the abilities they have that they sometimes do not believe in.