This Mutual Learning Workshop for Biogas Consolidation in Costa Rica took place last July, where WISIONS Team member Willington Ortiz was present and co-organized the workshop. This workshop marked the first phase of a cooperative project that aims at developing and testing an intervention strategy to consolidate biodigestion technology as a real tool to improve agricultural production in Costa Rica.

In the workshop the participants identified five challenge areas for the successful development of biodigestion projects in Costa Rica:
1. Ensure the proper operation and maintenance of already installed biodigesters
2. Ensure quality in the provision of the technology and related services
3. Overcome hindering attitudes of farmers towards the changes implied to the adoption of biodigesters
4. Improve institutional frameworks
5. Dealing with challenging conditions of small farmers

During the workshop, the first two critical areas were prioritized and concrete options for dealing with them were co-designed. The results of the workshop provides valuable inputs for the further implementation of the collaborative project. They also provide a sound systematization of the challenges and potentials that biodigestion features today for the small and medium agricultural sector in Costa Rica.

The full report can be downloaded HERE!

The Landesvereinigung der Unternehmensverbände Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. (unternehmer nrw) will organize a workshop in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and Carl Duisberg Association (CDG) with the topic of „Energy for everyone – fair and sustainable“ (orig. „Energie für alle – fair und nachhaltig“). Under the guiding theme of the Sustainable Development Goals SDG 7 „Affordable and Clean Energy“ as well as SDG 13 „Action to combat climate change“ the workshop will be giving insights on the topic the audience and exemplary ideas given by the lecturers of the keynotes.

The event is aimed at companies, federations, members of politics, administration and interested public. On behalf oft he Wuppertal Institute and the WISIONS Initiative the researcher Julia Terrapon-Pfaff will hold a keynote lecture on the topic of „Sustainable Transformation of international Energy Systems“.

The event is free of charge and registration possible under the following link:
https://www.registration-bdi.eu/de/sdg/registrierung/

The agenda and further detailed information can be accessed under following link:
https://bdi.eu/der-bdi/termine-und-veranstaltungen/#/termin/news/nachhaltigkeit-erfolgreich-wirtschaft-und-sdgs/

English Version:

Since approximately thirty years biodigestion technology has been applied by the agricultural sector in Costa Rica. However, the current progress is mostly based on the implementation of small-scale agriculture and generally linked to specific government programs, which are generally dispersed and disjointed.

Based on this experience the Asociación Costarricense de Biogás and the WISIONS collaborate in order to develop strategies to consolidate biodigestion technology as a tool to improve agricultural production in Costa Rica. This project is accounted as the WISIONS SEPS Exchange project  "Exchange: Consolidating the Adoption of Small and Medium-Scale Biogas Technology by Livestock Farmers in Costa Rica (SEPS16).