Tsangano Market in Ntcheu District, Malawi, a key hub for vegetable farmers from Malawi and Mozambique, generates significant vegetable waste due to inadequate waste management infrastructure. This unmanaged waste negatively impacts the environment, climate, and public health. However, vegetable waste can be transformed into biogas, a cleaner alternative to charcoal and fuelwood, to meet the high energy demands of market users such as chips makers and restaurants. Biogas production will also reduce deforestation in the Tsangano area.

A by-product of biogas production, organic fertilizer, will be packaged and sold to smallholder farmers. Organic fertilizer offers an affordable, environmentally friendly alternative to inorganic fertilizers, which are increasingly costly and harmful to water resources. This initiative addresses waste management challenges while creating valuable raw materials for trade.

The project, led by the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) in partnership with Green Impact Technologies (GIT), aims to promote biogas as a sustainable energy source. Using a “Fee-for-Service Social Enterprise Business Model,” the project seeks to ensure long-term financial sustainability and avoid project failures common to donor-funded energy initiatives. Outcomes include increased biogas adoption, improved market sanitation, enhanced organic fertilizer use, and stronger public-private partnerships. The initiative also aims to influence government policies supporting biogas and environmental sustainability in Malawi.