Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Scaling up of improved cooking stoves, biochar fortified organic fertilizer (BFOF), and fuel briquettes production in Kenya.

Regions of Operations:

How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

With the long deeper research, African Christians organization Network (ACON) designed a Village Development Model (VDM) which consists of seven activities: 
ACON was established in 2000 as a Non-Profit Organization to conduct poverty alleviation projects in Western Kenya. 
The organization was registered as an NGO Co-ordination board in 2006. ACON has been working on different areas over a decade, including:
Ø Improved Cookstoves
Ø Biochar Fortified Organic Fertilizer (BFOF)
Ø Fuel Briquettes
Ø Agro Forestry
Ø Kitchen Gardening
Ø Community Outreach
Ø School Environmental Education

Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Sustainable Development Goals:

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Through ACON‚ programs, communities learn to take a proactive approach to the problems that beset them. ACON‚ Participator Rural Appraisal (PRA) approach, and other participatory methods employed by ACON, can be used repeatedly by the community to resolve specific climate related issues. For example, because of the invasiveness of water hyacinth on Lake Victoria, many fishermen have lost their livelihoods because of the inability to launch a boat onto the lake and the loss of fish stocks to the impacts of eutrophication of the lake. This positive action results in restoring livelihoods and a sense of empowerment to communities. The increased resilience of plants to drought and flood conditions resulting from the use of biochar fortified organic fertilizers is a very strong example of this.The formation of social networks is an additional very strong component of ACON‚ approach. The use of participatory methods links directly into Local Knowledge to arrive at community lead solutions to environmental issues. 

Social: 
-Expand social inclusion of disabled people/widows/etc.: 
The project currently employs 9 people from especially socially vulnerable groups in the community for BFOFproduction. By training these people (formed into women groups and youth groups) to make BFOF, they can confidently support themselves and their families by selling BFOFto earn income. The number is expected to be doubled after scaling up the project. 
-Increase income of community members: 
By using BFOF, farmers can increase yield as well as income, which contributes to improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. This also improves the poverty index of Kenya since Kakamega county has the highest population of poor people in the country. 

Economic: 
-Procurement prices of ingredients: 
The project is designed to utilize local resources in the community. For BFOFproduction, ACON procures specific local materials and employs workers by paying community members. This brings certain income to community members. 
-Serve affordable fertilizer to small-scale farmers 
BFOFis sold for Ksh 1,800 for a bag of 50 kgs, which is cheaper than chemical fertilizer. Approximately 30,000 farmers have benefited from this project so far. 

Environmental: 
-Utilizes waste and underutilized biomass as a resource. Especially,the procurement of human urine gives an enormous positive impact, reducing the risk of water and sanitation-related matters. 
-Promotes a low carbon society: 
Carbonization of biomass into biochar is a reliable and easy way to fix carbon into charcoal. By scaling up ACON‚ BFOF production, a low carbon society is promoted.

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