Transforming Livestock Waste into Renewable Energy in Rural Vietnam

Challenge

Untreated livestock waste in rural Vietnam pollutes water and air, releases methane, and communities face limited, costly energy options.

Solution

Training farmers and officials to produce and maintain biogas systems, turning waste into clean energy and organic fertilizer.

Overview

This project, led by Thu Nga Do (Electric Power University, Vietnam), and supported by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) under its Scientific Capacity Development Programme (CAPaBLE), addressed the environmental and energy challenges faced by rural communities in Vietnam. Livestock farming is central to rural livelihoods, but untreated waste pollutes water and soil, emits methane (a potent greenhouse gas), and harms public health. Meanwhile, many households still rely on expensive or polluting fuels such as firewood or coal.

The project’s core aim was to reinforce the capacity of farmers, local officials, and technicians to use livestock waste for renewable biogas production, improving the environment and public health, and reducing GHG emissions, while meeting household energy needs.

Assessing local needs and potential

The project team began with surveys and site visits in Nghe An province, an area representative of rural Vietnam’s livestock sector. Data from 120 households detailed herd sizes, manure handling practices, and energy use. The majority of farms raised pigs or cattle but lacked effective waste treatment. In a survey, almost all surveyed farmers knew livestock waste was harmful to the environment and health, yet many had no access to biogas systems.

Even where systems existed, most were poorly maintained and underused. While most farmers were aware of the environmental and health problems from livestock waste, those who had digesters primarily used them to reduce bad odor and flies. The potential for using biogas for electricity generation was not widely adopted.

Training and technical demonstrations

The project held two training courses for more than 80 local farmers and local managers in Vietnam’s Nghe An province. Each included classroom presentations, practical demonstrations, and illustrated manuals in Vietnamese.

Topics covered:

• Principles of anaerobic digestion (breaking down waste without oxygen).
• Steps to design, construct, and maintain biogas digesters.
• Safe handling and storage of biogas.
• Using slurry residue as organic fertilizer.
• Environmental and economic benefits of biogas, including greenhouse gas reduction.

Hands-on demonstrations showed participants how to feed digesters, troubleshoot issues, and use biogas in stoves and small generators. The training also covered the use of digestate (leftover material from the biogas process) as organic fertilizer. Farmers also learned about potential cost savings compared to purchasing propane or collecting firewood.

Community engagement and outreach

Beyond direct training, the project distributed brochures and pamphlets to 400 farms across several provinces, summarizing key steps for building and using digesters and listing contacts for technical support.

A national workshop in Hanoi brought together representatives from four national ministries, 10 provincial departments, and more than 20 NGOs and research institutes. This event allowed policymakers to hear directly from the project team and local participants, encouraging and integrating biogas in climate adaptation and rural development strategies.

The project’s findings were disseminated to more than 80 young researchers and students through two seminars at universities in Vietnam and Thailand, sharing technical insights and encouraging further research in renewable energy from waste. Thai and Japanese project partners shared experiences from their own countries, broadening the learning exchange.

Results

Key achievements included:

• Direct training for more than 80 farmers, technicians, and local officials in Nghe An province.
• Rehabilitation or improved operation of several existing digesters through hands-on troubleshooting during training.
• Increased awareness among 400 farms via distributed materials.
• Policy engagement through a national workshop and a published policy brief, informing ministries about technical and social barriers to adoption.
• Integration of project data into planning documents of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
• Engagement of academic audiences, resulting in multiple peer-reviewed articles on biogas adoption and policy.
• Three English-language peer-reviewed articles – Do et al. (2021), Dinh et al. (2021), and Peungtim et al. (2021)  – and one Vietnamese peer-reviewed article – Le et al. (2021)  – also resulted from the project.

Technical findings highlighted that manure from pigs and cattle offers high biogas potential. Properly managed, small-scale systems could supply a household’s cooking fuel year-round, while also providing organic fertilizer to boost crop yields. Social findings revealed strong recognition of waste-related pollution, but persistent financial and technical barriers to adoption. Farmers expressed interest in expanded uses for biogas, especially electricity generation, but cited cost, credit access, and lack of technical support as constraints.

Recommendations

The project team recommended:

• Expanding training for both users and local technicians to improve construction quality and system maintenance.
• Creating low-interest credit schemes or subsidies to lower upfront costs for smallholder farmers.
• Developing clear national policies to encourage biogas use beyond cooking, including potential incentives for electricity generation.
• Strengthening enforcement of waste management regulations to motivate investment in treatment solutions.
• Promoting peer learning by showcasing model households with successful biogas systems.

Project details

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) under its Scientific Capacity Development Programme (CAPaBLE). Acknowledgements go to all participating farmers, local authorities, and partner institutions in Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan.

Related information

• Project Permalink
• Dinh, D. T., Do, T. N., Le, T. T., Pham, N. B., Trinh, A. D., Nguyen, D. H., & Khanitchaidecha, W. (2021). Utilization of biogas as an untapped renewable energy source in Vietnam. https://www.apn-gcr.org/publication/utilization-of-biogas-as-an-untapped-renewable-energy-source-in-vietnam/
• Do, T.-N., Le, T., Pham, N., Dinh, D., Nguyen, D.-H., & Khanitchaidecha, W. (2021). Evaluation of prospects and barriers of biogas produced from livestock waste towards sustainable developmentand adaptation to climate change in Nghe An province, Viet Nam. APN Science Bulletin, 11(1), 81–88. doi:10.30852/sb.2021.1587
• Do, T. N., Nguyen, H. D., Dinh, D. T., Khanitchaidecha, W., & Le, T. T. (2021). Project Final Report: Enhancing capacity for public communities to use renewable energy (biogas) from livestock wastes. Technical Report. Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research. https://www.apn-gcr.org/publication/project-final-report-cba2019-05sy-do/
• Le, T. T., Do, T. N., & Dinh, D. T. (2021). Phân tích tiềm năng và rào cản trong phát triển công nghệ khí sinh học xử lý chất thải chăn nuôi lợn tại Việt Nam (An analysis of potential and barriers for application of biogas in pig waste treatment in Viet Nam). Vietnam Environment Administration Magazine, 2021.
• Peungtim, P., Meesungnoen, O., Mahachai, P., Subsoontorn, P., Do, T. N., Nakaruk, A., & Khanitchaidecha, W. (2021). Enhancement of nitrate removal under limited organic carbon with hydrogen‐driven autotrophic denitrification in low‐cost electrode bio‐electrochemical reactors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology. doi:10.1002/jctb.6788
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