The Story
Tsangano and Lizulu Markets are among the largest vegetable markets in Malawi, generating significant volumes of organic waste that posed serious waste management challenges. In response, Green Impact Technologies (GIT) developed 40-cubic-meter biogas digesters at each market, transforming waste management into a productive circular economy model. The digesters convert organic market waste into two valuable outputs: biogas used daily by local restaurants and households for clean cooking, and bio-slurry, a nutrient-rich by-product distributed as organic fertilizer to smallholder farmers in Ntcheu District.
To date, GIT has reached 5 restaurants, 10 households, and over 20,000 smallholder farmers in Ntcheu with clean cooking energy and affordable organic fertilizer, supporting increased agricultural productivity and climate change adaptation. In addition, the project installed solar-powered water systems at the markets, providing reliable access to clean water for vendors and communities that previously had no water access. To sustain operations, GIT has also created local employment by hiring an Energy Officer, women engaged in waste collection, and site guards ensuring the facilities are well-managed and consistently productive.
Beyond energy and agriculture, the Tsangano biogas plant has become a regional learning hub, attracting government institutions, development organizations, and individuals seeking to understand the principles of biogas system operation and maintenance, demonstrating the model's potential for replication across Malawi and the wider region.