LocationsBy bringing renewable energy solutions that are climate-smart, affordable, and tailored to local needs. This initiative is implemented under UNDP’s “Empowering Rural Women through Access to Renewable Energy via Biodigester” project.
UNDP’s Biogas Brings Warmth, Savings, and Togetherness to Communities in Southern Tajikistan
May 22, 2025
From left to right – Firuza (daughter-in-law), Sanifa (mother-in-law), and Sairambi (grandmother-in-law) in their kitchen, using a biogas stove to boil water for tea.
Nigora Fazliddin
Faster and Safer Cooking
Firuza, Sanifa, and Sairambi – daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, and grandmother-in-law – three generations of women, share more than just a roof. Residing in the quiet outskirts of Kulob city in the Khatlon region, in Kozer village of Ziraki jamaat, the trio also takes on common responsibilities and shares the joys and warmth of a large, multigenerational household.
A clean, blue flame from the biogas stove - powered by cow dung - provides a sustainable and smoke-free cooking solution for this household.
Nigora Fazliddin
Together, they support a family of nine, including children and grandchildren, while the men of the household are away for labour migration. Life in rural Tajikistan can be physically demanding, but this tight-knit trio has found relief – and empowerment – thanks to a small but powerful innovation: a biodigester.
Sanifa – in the middle, in their yard.
Nigora Fazliddin
“It has changed everything,” Sanifa explains. “We use it for cooking, heating water for showers, and laundry. It’s reliable and efficient.”
Installed with support from UNDP and its implementing partner Neksigol, the biodigester system 6 is maintained daily by Firuza, the daughter-in-law, who uses skills she learned during project training sessions.
“We refill the biodigester with manure once a day and use the gas all day long,” she says. “It saves us so much time. We no longer have to spend hours preparing dung fuel or collecting firewood.”
Firuza shares how she manages the household’s biogas system, highlighting its benefits - no more smoke in the kitchen, faster cooking, and savings on firewood and gas.
Nigora Fazliddin
With six cows, the family has all the raw material they need. More importantly, they’ve reclaimed time, energy, and health, especially for the women who used to shoulder the bulk of the burden.
Greener gardens
Not far away, in the neighbouring jamaat of Dahana in Navobod village, another UNDP biodigester is being shared by three households. Abdulvohid and his two brothers jointly use the system of size 8 to meet the needs of their extended family.
Abdulvohid stands in his garden, sharing how biofertilizer has made his tomatoes and potatoes healthier than before.
Nigora Fazliddin
“Our family is farming. We grow vegetables and fruits for sale,” Abdulvohid says. “Thanks to the biodigester, we always have hot water and fuel for cooking. Plus, with the biofertilizer, an organic by-product of the biodigester, we have greener gardens, including healthier tomato and potato plants.”
With 3–4 cows per household, they feed the system easily. Already in the first year, Abdulvohid has noticed the difference – the potato stalks are healthier nd greener, and the harvest looks promising. The biofertilizer produced as a by-product is giving their soil a new life.
Lighter Burden + Time for Togetherness
Back in Kozer, another large household headed by Mairambi Nurmatova is also seeing major benefits. Mairambi lives with her husband, two sons, their wives, and several grandchildren. Before, they had to refill gas cylinders up to three times a month, costing 200–300 TJS – an expensive routine shared by families like Firuza, Sanifa, Sairambi, and Abdulvohid, who also spent significant amounts on electricity or gas cylinders.
Mairambi sits in her kitchen, hugging her grandchildren with a smile. Thanks to the biodigester system, her family no longer spends hours making dung cakes, freeing her time and energy for what matters most
Nigora Fazliddin
“Now, we don’t need to spend money anymore,” Mairambi says with a smile. “We can use it for other needs – school supplies for the children or fresh produce from the market.”
With 3 cows, Mairambi’s family has also embraced the biodigester system 6 as a solution that saves money, effort, and stress. Like many rural households, they once spent hours shaping up to 3,000 dung cakes (kiziyak) per year – a task that fell mainly on the women, taking precious time away from their children and loved ones, and often exposing them to unhealthy conditions.
These three families are just a few among 37 others supported by UNDP Tajikistan’s “Empowering Rural Women through Access to Renewable Energy via Biodigester” project, which introduces climate-smart technologies to improve well-being and strengthen family dynamics.
Now, thanks to biogas, they can spend more time together - sharing meals, helping children with homework, and supporting each other through daily life. The shift from time-consuming fuel preparation to cleaner energy has created space for connection, care, and the simple joys of being with loved ones.
About the Project
The project supports rural communities across Tajikistan by enabling them to harness clean, locally produced energy. A biodigester is a sealed, oxygen-free tank that converts organic waste - typically animal manure - into clean, renewable biogas through a natural process known as anaerobic digestion.
When manure is fed into the biodigester, bacteria break down the waste material, releasing a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide that can be used as cooking fuel, for heating water, or even to generate electricity.
The by-product of this process is a nutrient-rich slurry known as biofertilizer, which can be safely applied to crops to improve soil health and boost yields. With just a few cows and a simple daily routine of feeding the system, rural households can gain access to a continuous source of energy while reducing reliance on firewood and harmful fuels.
Traditional cooking with firewood is one of the leading causes of indoor air pollution globally, disproportionately affecting women and children. Biodigesters offer a sustainable, safer alternative that also strengthens food security.
This is more than just clean energy. It’s about saving time, cutting costs, protecting health, and bringing families closer together.
Media inquiries: Nigora Fazliddin, Communications Analyst, UNDP Tajikistan – nigorai.fazliddin@undp.org
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