Nivaje Village Achieves Carbon Neutrality in Maharashtra

Why this is here: Farmers in Nivaje have doubled their rice production to 68-70 quintals per hectare by using the System of Rice Intensification method, which requires less water and fewer seeds.

In Nivaje, a village in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, residents have transitioned away from firewood and LPG by installing over 140 biogas units. The change began roughly a decade ago, driven by Drs Prasad and Harshada Deodhar of Bhagirath Gramvikas Pratishthan, an NGO responding to malnutrition and ecological concerns. Villagers now use biogas for cooking, and apply the resulting slurry as organic fertilizer, abandoning synthetic chemicals.

The initiative, supported by loans and subsidies from the Sindhudurg District Central Cooperative Bank, has seen roughly 42-year-old Dattatraya Sawant championing biogas adoption throughout the district. Each two-cubic meter biogas plant requires four to six cows and can replace 316 liters of kerosene annually.

Not all households have adopted the technology, as some lack land or livestock, or have migrated to urban areas. While the village now earns about 4.5 lakh rupees annually from bamboo sales, continued success relies on preserving the surrounding forest ecosystem and developing sustainable tourism.