What if cow dung could do more than become waste? In Gujarat’s Zakariyapura village, livestock manure is being used to generate cooking fuel, produce agricultural inputs and create an additional source of income for rural households.
The village has become associated with a decentralised biogas and manure-management model developed with support from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Instead of treating cattle dung as something to be discarded, participating households use it as a resource, converting it into biogas while making use of the slurry left behind.
Through the model, cattle dung becomes part of a circular system connecting household energy, agriculture and livelihoods. The approach reflects the principles of a circular economy, where materials are kept in productive use rather than being treated as waste after their first use.
From Cow Dung To Cooking Fuel
Livestock manure is produced every day in dairy-producing households. While dung can traditionally be used as manure or fuel in the form of dung cakes, it can also be processed through anaerobic digestion to produce biogas.
In Zakariyapura, participating households use small household-level biogas plants to convert cattle dung into cooking gas. According to NDDB, 368 animal-owning households installed biogas plants in the village, with the units becoming operational by 2020.
The plants are approximately two cubic metres in capacity and can use around 40–50 kg of cattle dung a day, depending on operating conditions. NDDB estimates that a two-cubic-metre plant can generate cooking energy equivalent to roughly 1.5–2 LPG cylinders a month.
For households with sufficient livestock, this creates a locally available source of cooking energy from a resource they already produce.
The Slurry Becomes Another Resource
The process does not end when the biogas is produced. The material left behind after anaerobic digestion is known as biogas slurry or digestate.
Instead of being discarded, the slurry can be used as agricultural manure or collected for further processing. This gives the same livestock waste two potential uses: biogas for energy and slurry for agriculture.
The model therefore creates a simple cycle in which cattle dung is converted into cooking fuel while the remaining material can return to farms as an agricultural input.
This approach can also reduce the need to transport or dispose of manure separately, since the resource is processed close to where it is generated.
The Women Behind The Manure Value Chain
One of the distinctive aspects of the Zakariyapura model is the involvement of women in the manure value chain. The initiative is linked to a women-managed manure cooperative through which slurry can be collected and commercialised. Instead of manure remaining an informal household by-product, it becomes part of an organised system involving collection, processing and sale.
Reports on the Zakariyapura model indicate that slurry sales can generate around ₹1,500–₹2,500 per month for participating households. Combined fuel savings and slurry-related income have also been reported at around ₹3,500–₹4,500 per household per month.
These figures represent reported benefits rather than guaranteed earnings, as actual savings and income can vary depending on livestock ownership, household fuel use and slurry production.
Reducing Dependence On Firewood
The benefits of household biogas extend beyond fuel costs. In rural communities where firewood and traditional chulhas are used for cooking, collecting and burning firewood can require significant amounts of time and physical effort.
Replacing or reducing the use of firewood can reduce exposure to smoke and soot inside kitchens. It can also reduce the need for women to spend time collecting and carrying fuel.
Reports on the Zakariyapura initiative have highlighted how reduced dependence on traditional cooking fuels can give women more time for other activities, including livelihood-related work and education. The intervention therefore addresses not only energy access, but also household labour and cooking conditions.
From Dairy Waste To Agricultural Input
The model also creates a connection between livestock management and farming. Biogas slurry contains nutrients and can be used as manure. At a larger scale, collected slurry can be processed into value-added organic fertiliser products.
The slurry-processing system associated with the initiative includes collection and processing infrastructure, allowing the material to move beyond individual household use and enter an organised agricultural value chain.
Products derived from processed manure have also been associated with the SuDhan brand, giving manure-derived agricultural inputs a more formal route to market.
The Circular Economy Behind The Model
The Zakariyapura approach can be understood as a circular system. Cattle produce dung, the dung is fed into a household biogas plant, and the resulting gas is used for cooking. The slurry remaining after digestion can then be returned to agriculture or processed into organic fertiliser.
Instead of moving from livestock production to waste disposal, the system creates multiple points of value. A material that was previously considered a waste product becomes a source of household energy, an agricultural input and, through organised collection and processing, a potential source of income.
From One Village To A Wider Model
The significance of Zakariyapura extends beyond the village itself. The National Dairy Development Board has subsequently worked to replicate the approach through wider manure-management initiatives and the Government of India’s GobarDhan programme.
GobarDhan promotes the conversion of cattle dung and other organic waste into useful products such as biogas, bio-based energy and organic fertiliser.
The Zakariyapura approach has been used as a model for decentralised manure management in other locations, with NDDB supporting its replication through various programmes and partnerships.
This means the village is not simply an example of one community using biogas. It has become associated with a broader effort to demonstrate how manure management can be integrated with clean energy, agriculture and rural livelihoods.
Why Turning Manure Into Value Matters
Cattle dung is already produced by dairy households every day. Rural households also need cooking fuel, while farmers require agricultural inputs.
The Zakariyapura model attempts to connect these existing resources and needs within one system.
The approach can help reduce dependence on conventional cooking fuels, create value from livestock manure and provide farmers with another source of organic agricultural inputs. At the same time, the involvement of women in the manure cooperative adds a livelihood dimension to the model.
Its significance lies not in the fact that biogas technology itself is new, but in how the different parts of the system are connected.
Rethinking What We Call Waste
The Zakariyapura model illustrates a broader shift in the way agricultural waste can be viewed. Cattle dung does not necessarily have to be treated as a disposal problem. With appropriate infrastructure and management, it can become a feedstock for renewable cooking energy, while the resulting slurry can continue through the agricultural cycle.
The model demonstrates how waste management, clean energy, agriculture and rural livelihoods can be connected rather than addressed as separate challenges.
For livestock-producing communities, this offers a way to look at manure not only as something that needs to be managed, but also as a resource with economic and environmental value.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Zakariyapura model highlights how a material that is often treated as waste can be given a productive second use through technology, community participation and organised value chains.
By converting cattle dung into biogas and using the remaining slurry as manure or a feedstock for organic fertiliser, the model connects household energy needs with agricultural requirements.
Its wider lesson is simple: sustainability does not always require finding a completely new resource. Sometimes, it means recognising the value of resources that are already available and creating systems that allow them to remain useful for longer.
In Zakariyapura, cow dung is not simply being discarded after it has served its purpose. It is being used to create energy, agricultural value, household savings and additional livelihood opportunities within a circular system.
