Insights

Field research, public arguments and planning tools from Bangladesh.

Green Flame · Case study

What keeps household
biogas working after
installation?

A review of 400 households in Sirajganj and Bogra found that lasting value depends on daily use, timely repairs and benefits beyond energy.

400 households · Sirajganj and Bogra · Evidence period 2025–26
A household participant standing beside a Green Flame biogas digester in Bogra
Field evidence A household biogas system in Bogra. What happens after installation determines whether the benefit lasts. Bogra · 2025–26
Evidence route

From field observation to a funding decision.

01Field observation

Use did not persist automatically.

Installation created an asset. Daily routines, repair response and productive value determined continued use.

02Evidence

Three conditions repeatedly mattered.

Repairs, operating routines and farm value shaped whether household systems stayed useful.

03Interpretation

The programme boundary was too narrow.

Counting installations could not show whether households continued to receive energy and farm benefits.

04Programme response

Service and value must be designed together.

Track continued use, assign repair responsibility and support productive use of digestate.

05Decision

Fund continued use.

Finance the operating system around the asset, not installation alone.

Review the case
What the field showed

Equipment alone did not sustain use.

Repairs mattered

Small faults stopped use when service responsibility was unclear.

Routines mattered

Regular operation kept household benefits going.

Farm value mattered

Digestate created value beyond cooking fuel.

Programme response
Count installationsTrack continued use
Measure gas outputMeasure energy and farm value
Rely on carbon incomeBuild household value first
The decision

Fund continued use.

Support daily operation, timely repairs and productive use of digestate.

Workers processing agricultural organic material for productive use
Productive value beyond household fuel strengthened the operating case.
Bangladesh map showing recorded crop concentration by district
The record shows concentration. Fieldwork tests viability.
Crop Intelligence

Where should fieldwork begin?

Public records show where production is concentrated. Field verification determines whether the opportunity is commercially and operationally viable.

Open Crop Intelligence
Cultivera team members speaking with a producer during a field visit in Bogra
Work with Cultivera

What are you seeing in the field?

An operating problem, an incomplete evidence base or a financing question can be the starting point for a clearer decision.