Small box turns waste into treasure for Ivory Coast farmers

In July, the invention netted N'guessan an innovation award worth more than US$33,700 from the United Kingdom's Royal Academy of Engineering.

By then, the team had already sold 50 composters to Ivorian cocoa, palm oil and mango farms. The boxes cost US$700 to produce, according to the academy.

The team also produces biodigesters - similar metal box-like contraptions that can fuel two hours of cooking on the gas generated from 5kg of waste per day, while producing litres of liquid compost.

This kind of gas production could be a sustainable alternative source of cleaner energy in rural areas in West Africa, according to a 2018 report by the European Commission.

Every cubic metre of biogas, a mixture primarily of methane and carbon dioxide, is estimated to replace the equivalent of 5kg of wood or 3kg of coal, it said.

"Instead of throwing our waste on the streets, we collect it," said farmer Ahouri. "We are protecting the environment because instead of leaving it there, we use it."

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