A simple idea brought home by a woman in Gujarat has transformed the way an entire village cooks, manages waste and earns a living.
In Zakariyapura, women once spent hours cooking on traditional wood-fired stoves, exposing themselves to smoke, eye irritation and respiratory problems. Rising household expenses and the cost of cooking fuel added to the financial pressure faced by families.
The turning point came when Madhuben, a village resident, visited a biogas plant in a neighbouring village. Impressed by the way cattle dung was being converted into cooking fuel, she encouraged families in Zakariyapura to adopt the technology.
368 households adopt biogas
With support from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), biogas plants were installed in all 368 cattle-owning households in the village.
The plants use cattle dung and water to generate biogas for cooking, while producing nutrient-rich slurry as a by-product.
The initiative reduced households’ dependence on firewood and LPG, while also helping women spend less time collecting fuel and cooking in smoke-filled kitchens.
Waste becomes an additional source of income
The impact went beyond clean cooking.
Women in the village came together to establish an all-women manual cooperative to process and market the organic fertiliser produced from biogas slurry.
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As a result, participating households can earn around ₹3,000–₹5,000 per month from the additional livelihood opportunity.
The model has also created wider social benefits. Reduced dependence on firewood has saved time for women and girls, while improved household economics have helped ease financial pressures on families.
A model for circular dairy development
Zakariyapura demonstrates how livestock waste can become an economic resource rather than a disposal problem.
The model creates a simple circular system:
Cattle → Dung → Biogas → Clean cooking → Slurry → Organic fertiliser → Additional income
The village’s experience highlights the potential of biogas, organic fertiliser production and women-led cooperatives to strengthen rural livelihoods while supporting cleaner energy and sustainable dairy farming.
For India’s dairy sector, such models could become an important part of circularity and sustainability, particularly as programmes such as White Revolution 2.0 increasingly focus on creating additional value from livestock resources.
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