LocationsTurning Agricultural Waste into Clean Energy and Livelihoods
Tingathe’s EcoBriquette Initiative
July 24, 2025
Tingathe, a GEF-SGP grantee supported by UNDP, is transforming farm waste into eco-briquettes — boosting urban livelihoods, promoting clean energy, and protecting the environment.
Amid growing urban vulnerability and environmental degradation, a local organisation in Malawi is demonstrating how grassroots innovation, supported through small grants, can lead to impactful change in communities.
Tingathe, a grantee of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) implemented by UNDP, is turning agricultural waste into opportunity — producing and marketing eco-friendly briquettes that are improving livelihoods, protecting the environment, and promoting clean energy access in urban Malawi.
As part of the GEF National Dialogue Forum, participants visited the Tingathe EcoBriquette Training Centre in Lilongwe to witness the transformation firsthand. The initiative trains community members—especially vulnerable urban populations—in making eco-briquettes from carbonised groundnut shells and rice husks, bound with cassava flour. The outcome is a smoke-free, energy-efficient, and affordable alternative to firewood or charcoal.
Beyond its environmental appeal, the innovation is creating ripple effects in community health and household income.
Eco-briquettes by Tingathe offer a cleaner, longer-burning alternative to charcoal—reducing indoor air pollution, cutting deforestation, and promoting sustainable waste management in Malawi.
“Since we began using ecobriquettes, my family’s well-being has greatly improved,” said Alinafe Kapanda, a community beneficiary. “We no longer spend endless hours looking for firewood. The briquettes cook faster, require less effort, and are in high demand. This could be a real opportunity for our community if scaled up.”
Eco-briquettes burn longer than traditional fuels, significantly reducing indoor air pollution, and are compatible with a range of cooking stoves. They also promote sustainable waste management and help reduce deforestation—an issue of national importance.
During the field visit, Tingathe’s team expressed gratitude for the catalytic support received through GEF-SGP, which has enabled them to expand their outreach and production capacity.
Tingathe’s Country Representative, Sara Lendeire, expressed gratitude to UNDP for its ongoing support. She emphasised that many promising community-led innovations are still waiting for support. Lendeire challenged stakeholders to invest in and nurture promising grassroots ideas.
The visit concluded with strong calls to scale up and replicate the Tingathe model across Malawi’s urban communities for broader impact.
Susan Waithaka, Senior Country Relations Officer from the GEF Secretariat, commended the initiative for its contribution to carbon emission reduction and the upliftment of community welfare. “Tingathe’s model has strong potential for replication,” she noted, urging partners to scale up such community-led solutions.
Representatives from Malawi’s Environmental Affairs Department echoed the sentiment. “This initiative aligns with our national environmental and development priorities,” said Mphatso Kalemba, Chief Environmental Officer. She said it was encouraging to see UNDP and GEF-SGP identifying and supporting such transformative innovations.
UNDP’s Evelyn Koech, Resilience and Sustainable Growth Portfolio Manager, highlighted the power of small grants in unlocking big impact. “This is proof that local organisations, when properly supported, can drive lasting change. The potential is there; what remains is to increase investment to help scale these success stories.”
The visit concluded with calls to upscale and replicate the Tingathe model in other urban communities. Strengthening branding and visibility, alongside intensified resource mobilisation, were also recommended to expand reach and impact.