Biodigesters and women’s empowerment in Honduras: A circular innovation through Farmer Field and Business Schools
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In Northern Honduras, smallholder ranchers faced challenges related to deforestation, poor health, and gender inequality. CARE Honduras partnered with private company Sistema Bio to introduce biodigesters as part of its Farmer Field and Business School (FFBS) programme, coupled with an innovative revolving fund model nested in the rural communities’ financial ecosystem. Integrated into 20 FFBS with 51 percent women participating, the innovation converted animal waste into biogas for clean cooking and organic fertilizer for crop production, establishing a circular economy model. The FFBS facilitated hands-on learning, enabling families to reduce firewood use, reduce household emissions, and improve health, productivity, and nutrition. Crucially, the innovation addressed harmful gender norms through CARE’s Social Action and Analysis (SAA) methodology, leading to greater decision-making power for women, a reduction in household burdens, and shared domestic responsibilities. The approach has led to measurable improvements in livelihoods, with households reporting average monthly savings of USD 80, while women benefit from a reduction of approximately three hours in their daily workload. It also aroused the interest of neighboring communities, municipalities and national actors, showing great potential for scale.