KNOWLEDGE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

Final Report

South - South Technology Transfer: Low Carbon Building Technology

Development Alternatives- Technology and Action for Rural Advancement

(TARA)

Submitted to

Department for International Development (DFID)

IPE Global (P) Ltd.

March 2016

Project Brief

Introduction

Malawi is one of the smallest countries in Southern Africa. With a population of around

15 million, it has one of the highest rate of urbanization. This has resulted in a strong

demand of building and infrastructure materials, with steel, cement and bricks being the

mainstay. Majority of the walling materials in Malawi consists of burnt clay bricks.

Considering the urbanization growth rate the demand of building materials has been

estimated at 1.7 billion units per year. The entire brick production in Malawi takes place

in traditional clamps using firewood as the major fuel. Thus in a year around 850,000

tonnes of fuelwood is used to produce burnt clay bricks apart from the associated

greenhouse gas emissions. The brick making activity in Malawi is also an unorganized

and decentralized activity with no control on quality. This has resulted in poor quality of

housing and high construction costs arising from the increased use of cement and

mortar. Thus a good quality affordable house is beyond the reach of the common man.

Given the strong South-South Cooperation development dialogue between Indian and

Africa and India’s long standing presence in assisting development in various regions of

the world, Development Alternatives undertook a programme of transferring energy

efficient and environment friendly brick production technology to Malawi to support

Malawi’s initiative in achieving a low carbon development.

Objectives

The project aimed at promoting and sharing of Indian evidences, best practice and

expertise with developing economies in LDCs in order to facilitate uptake of Indian

technologies in the field of clean building material production.

This was proposed to be achieved through

Transfer and adaptation of cleaner building material technologies

Anchoring of technology in local context to ensure sustainability

Awareness creation among the local stakeholders to adopt and promote new

building technologies

Providing technical and capacity building support to the transferred technology

Disseminating the technology widely both in Malawi and the neighbouring

countries

It was envisaged that the technology transfer assignment will result in the creation of

safe and permanent employment in the building material production sector contributing

to poverty alleviation in Malawi. It will also lay the path for GHG emission reductions in

Malawi while facilitating cleaner and greener development.

Key Outcomes

Some of the key outcomes of the project were:

Successful transfer and adaptation of TARA EcoKiln technology to Malawi. The

4-shaft EcoKIln has started production and has produced till date around

800,000 EcoBricks as on September 2015.

The TARA EcoKiln under stabilized operation has achieved a Specific Energy

Consumption of 0.48 MJ/Kg of fired bricks enabling it to be the world’s most

energy efficient burnt clay brick firing technology.

The TARA EcoKiln uses only coal as an external fuel. Till date for production of

around 1 million bricks the TARA EcoKiln has saved approximately 270 Tonnes

of firewood. This is one of the most important outcome, since the TARA EcoKiln

has successfully demonstrated that good quality bricks can also be produced

from coal.

The technology transferred has demonstrated the use of industrial wastes in

brick making thereby saving natural resources. Till date around 100 tonnes of

tobacco dust waste has been used which otherwise would have been dumped.

The project has catalyzed an investment of Rs. 48 million from EcoMatters Ltd.

on account of land, infrastructure, plant, machinery and testing laboratory which

shows the belief and faith in the technology delivered and demonstrated by

Indian Organizations.

The project has enabled creation of around 200 direct green and dignified job

opportunities. Out of these around 25-30% are women thereby ensuring social

equality and justice.

From awareness programmes undertaken, entrepreneurs from the six African

countries of Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria and Lesotho have

expressed interest in adopting the TARA EcoKiln technology.

Key Learnings

The knowledge and technology transfer programme was instrumental in proving

that all and any technology transfer initiative should be a long term initiative and

not a short term project focusing on building local capacity. The crux of

technology transfer lies in the identification of local anchor who will be building

on the knowledge being transferred. Considerable hand holding is required to

ground the technology transfer and includes trouble shooting

Both commercial and development approach should be kept open to compliment and

explore the various methods of technology transfer. Also, flexibility in the programme

allows for mid-course corrections in keeping with the proposed objectives and intended

outcomes. Extension of the project for six months allowed for stabilising the VSBK and

for further engagement with various stakeholders and potential entrepreneurs so that

the technology could be scaled up.

Achievements

Achievements under the project went beyond the stated objectives. For instance, the

project opened up employment opportunities for women in a sector where traditionally

men were involved.

Way forward

Technology transfer, adoption and dissemination is a long term process and requires

the active support and belief from different stakeholders. To ensure that the initiative

leads to large scale dissemination the following are suggested in the immediate and

near future:

Institutionalisation of the training and capacity building process through the skill

development initiatives of both the private and the public sector

Continuous engagement and dialogue with the Government on favorable

policies to ensure a healthy demand and supply

Continuous awareness and demonstration programmes to widely disseminate

the successful case stories and benefits

South South Technology Transfer

Final Report

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Supported by: Centre for Community Organization and Development, Lilongwe, Malawi Enterprise Development Holdings, Lilongwe, Malawi Eco Matters Pvt. Limited, Selima, Malawi IPE Global, New Delhi, India Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development, Government of Malawi Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, Geology and Mining, Government of Malawi Indian High Commission at Malawi British High Commission at Malawi German Cooperation, Embassy of Germany at Malawi Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Malawi

The Government of UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) is implementing a new model of cooperation support in India through the Knowledge Partnership Programme (KPP). This KPP is funded by the DFID and managed by a Consortium led by IPE Global Private Limited under its Knowledge Initiative.

All the content or information present here is the exclusive property of Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA). The content/ information contained here is correct at the time of publishing. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation(s) associated with TARA. No material from here may be copied, modified, reproduced, republished, uploaded, transmitted, posted or distributed in any form without prior written permission from TARA. Unauthorised use of the content/information appearing here may violate copyright, trademark & other applicable laws & could result in criminal or civil penalties.

©Technology and Action for Rural Advancement 2016

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgement 3 Executive summary 4 1. Introduction

1.1. Background of Malawi 6 1.2. Scope of work 7 1.3. The Project 8

2. Approach and Methodology 9 3. Implementation of New Brick Firing Technology – The TARA EcoKiln

3.1. Enterprise and management support 11 3.2. Technical and quality control 11 3.3. Business performance 19

4. Introduction of Eco-Concrete Technology 19 5. Capacity Building Initiatives 20 6. Policy Influencing Efforts 22 7. Knowledge Dissemination 22 8. Social Interventions 25 9. Results and Impacts Created 26 10. Progress Achieved Against Planned Outputs 29 11. Way Forward 29 12. References 31

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Acknowledgement

It would not have been possible for the team of Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA), Development Alternatives Group; to undertake the South-South Technology Transfer initiative for introducing energy efficient and environment friendly building material technologies in Malawi without the active involvement and assistance of a number of individuals and organizations.

The team would, in particular, like to acknowledge the unflinching support given by all the staff and management of Centre for Community Organization and Development (CCODE), Lilongwe, Malawi; Eco Brick Limited, and Enterprise Development Holdings, Lilongwe, Malawi. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Peter Schramm, Siku Nkhoma, Cynthia Phiri, Wonderful Hunga, Titus Malunga and Jones Nyrienda for supporting us beyond means in this initiative. Their constant aspiration of supporting Malawi to explore efficient construction through building material production inspired the team to achieve the same.

The team gratefully acknowledges the support from various Ministries of the Government of Malawi especially; National Construction Industry Council; Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development; Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment for their interest shown in the technology transfer initiative. Their interest to take out time and discuss possible means of cooperation with the implementation team shows their keen support for dissemination of cleaner building material production technologies in Malawi.

TARA would also like to acknowledge the support provided by the Indian High Commission, Malawi; British High Commission and DFID, Malawi and the German Embassy through German Cooperation, throughout the commissioning and operation of the EcoKiln and Eco-Concrete technology. Presence of Honorable Ambassadors and High Commissioners at critical stages including the EcoKiln Inauguration boosted the morale of the team enabling them to perform to their best.

Finally, TARA gratefully acknowledges the support provided by Department of International Development, India and IPE Global, New Delhi for the technology transfer initiative undertaken. We do hope that this technology transfer pilot will encourage the introduction of new and sustainable building material technologies in Malawi to build up resilience to cope with environmental effects in future. The successful technology transfer in Malawi would also set an example for such complementary initiatives in other countries supporting their growth towards a low carbon economy.

Technology and Action for Rural Advancement

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Executive summary

What started out as a pilot in green brick technology transfer from India to Malawi to arrest deforestation of the country; led to the cleanest and most energy efficient burnt brick firing technology in Africa, improved construction quality and affordable homes, better wages and employment, demand for environment-friendly construction material. This also triggered the pathway for policy revision for incentivizing the use of bricks made with clean technology. It has also created better and sustainable employment opportunities for women.

Leveraging India’s experience in addressing development challenges in various regions of the world on one hand and growing emphasis on South-South cooperation on the other, DFID’s Knowledge Partnership Programme (KPP), managed by a consortium led by IPE Global, sought to step up collaboration around ideas, knowledge, evidence, accountability, technology and innovation for the global good. The project was led by Development Alternatives in Malawi through Technology and Action for Rural Advancement and implemented through Eco Matters Pvt. Ltd., Malawi.

Under the programme, the Republic of Malawi, a small land-locked country of about 18 million people in Southern Africa, benefitted from clean technology in brick and concrete. Malawi uses firewood from forests to fire the clay bricks, the basic building material used. According to an estimate, to meet the growing urban housing demand a minimum of 21,000 housing units are required per annum. Around 1.7 billion units of burnt clay bricks are required annually to meet the housing demand, consuming approximately 850,000 MT of wood to produce them. If the rural housing demand is weighed in, the annual wood consumption would have been much higher.

Brick making in Malawi is an unorganized small-scale activity. Bricks are fired in traditional clamp kilns using only firewood as fuel. If this brick-making method is continued, Malawi will be completely deforested in 30 years. Besides, the bricks made with this method are uneven in colour, shape and size, and have poor compressive strength. Through an earlier project implemented by Development Alternatives and supported by DFID, the energy efficient TARA EcoKiln based on Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln principles was introduced in Malawi anchored by EcoMatters Pvt. Ltd. The technology used only coal instead of wood. Popularising this technology in Malawi will not only check the deforestation in the region but also improve quality of housing through production of consistent quality bricks.

The intervention commenced with the identification of a suitable partner and a series of feasibility and market assessment studies. The next step was site selection and technology transfer (equipment purchase, commissioning and local infrastructure setup) followed by training and knowledge transfer. A major challenge in this intervention was finding the technically qualified people who could integrate technology transfer with enterprise-wide capacity building in Malawi.

To facilitate this, Development Alternatives conducted a series of technical and awareness workshops and exposure visits to India for promising Malawi technicians supported by KPP. More than 150 stakeholders attended across these 3 workshops. To ensure the

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technology transfer was effective and taken up locally at a scale, a Green Building Centre with all civil construction, equipments and machinery in place was commissioned. Masons were trained in critical aspects of kiln construction and kiln workers to build and run the kiln. Apart from this, a series of technical and operational manuals on the kiln engineering and brick production were developed for reference. At the end, TARA EcoKiln was successfully established in Malawi and their operators were trained, especially women who got access to a relatively high paying occupation.

On its successful implementation, the initiative received immense interest from Malawi housing developers, who showed keenness in purchasing bricks made with TARA EcoKiln technology given their superior quality. The Government of Malawi too lauded the South-South Technology Transfer initiative and promised policy changes to promote the brick firing and other building material technologies. The initiative promised great quantifiable benefits – creation of more than 1,000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and more than 20,000 sustainable jobs, besides recurring income worth USD 9 million annually through saved carbon revenue. As on January 2016, the initiative has saved a total of 270 tonnes of firewood, generated business worth USD 80,000, and provided jobs for 145 people (50 women). The final output of the bricks was of better form and quality and utilized less mortar. So while the price of each brick was five times as much, the total construction cost came down by 30% due to less mortar usage.

An interesting spin-off of the initiative is Malawi’s interest to move beyond the EcoKiln to other energy efficient building materials for roofs, floors, frames, etc. There was also an expression of interest from neighbouring Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia and Tanzania for a similar initiative. A wider dissemination workshop in November 2015 drew more than 80 participants including potential entrepreneurs, National Construction Industry Council officials and relevant government departments.

The initiative gained much popularity in Malawi within a year and the implementing agencies are advocating well with the local government to mainstream the technology and operations for universal adaptation. It is recommended that the operations are sustained for the time being by other donor agencies and the local actors are handheld till they become self-sufficient along the learning curve. Hence, there is need for constant monitoring and evaluation along with extensive trainings and refresher sessions. Further need for expansion and investment from local Malawians is important for a sense of ownership and development of a national product. Constant awareness programs and seminars should further be conducted for disseminating the benefits along with availability of ready markets in the form of public procurement of bricks for state buildings and infrastructure.

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1. Introduction

1.1. Background of Malawi The Republic of Malawi is a land locked country situated in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania. Measuring 48,000 square miles, it is a relatively small and densely populated country with limited mineral resources. One of the unique geographical treasures of Malawi is Lake Malawi, the 3rd largest fresh water lake in Africa. Part of the Great African Rift Valley, Lake Malawi is around 587 km and 84 km at its longest and widest point.

With a population of over 15 million and an average annual per capita income of USD 268 (at current USD rates), Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world (World Bank, 2012). The economy is predominately agricultural and is dependent on substantial international assistance. The Human Development Index, 2013 is 0.418, ranking Malawi at 170 out of 187 countries. 66.7% of the population live in multidimensional poverty (MPI ‘head count’, 2010) while an additional 23.4% were vulnerable to multiple deprivations, leading to an MPI value of 0.334. Life expectancy of 54.8 years with an average of 4.2 years of schooling put Malawi below the average for both Sub-Saharan Africa and other Low HDI countries. While Malawi has shown signs of development, this development has been very unequal. HDI when adjusted for inequality falls to 0.287 and the 2004 Gini coefficient is just 39.0. In addition Malawi has a Gender Inequality Index (GII) value of 0.573, ranking it 124 out of 148 countries reflecting gender-based inequalities in three dimensions – reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity.

As of 2014, Malawi ranked 128 out of 178 countries on the Environmental Performance Index with a score of 40.06. In 2010, it had a total emission of 1,239 ktonnes CO2 emissions with a per capita figure of 0.1 metric tons CO2 emissions (World Bank, 2012). Malawi is one of the countries with the smallest Ecological Footprints, under 0.5 global hectares (1¼ acres) which is generally too small to meet basic requirements for food, shelter, infrastructure and sanitation (Global Footprint Network, 2009).Malawi like many other developing countries, is rapidly urbanizing. This spurt has led to an increased demand for housing in the country. A minimum of 21,000 housing units are required to meet the urban housing demand. Thus Malawi will require around 1.7 billion units of burnt clay bricks annually. If the rural housing demand is also considered then the annual brick consumption will be much more. The main building material in Malawi is the burnt clay brick. Brick making in Malawi is a small scale unorganized, resource and energy intensive activity.

To improve the situation of Malawi, it has been seen that the Government of Malawi is planning to open up the infrastructure sector in the next decades and create favourable investment opportunities. This is expected to create a large demand on the building and allied materials. Moreover increasing urbanization will place a high demand on housing and related infrastructure. Thus there will be rapid increasing demand of building materials and technologies creating high interest for investment and profitable business in urban areas.

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Malawi’s annual rate of urbanization is one of the highest in the world at 5.22% per annum (UNHabitat, 2010). This high rate of urbanization is putting pressure on the housing supply with deterioration in quality. Population growth patterns of Malawi’s major urban centres indicate there will be 203,600 additional households by 2020 that, with an additional 25 % for the secondary urban centres, leads to a total demand for new dwellings of 254,500 by 2020. The Malawi Urban Housing Sector Profile 2010 reveals that 21,000 housing units are required annually to meet the urban housing needs over the next 10 years.

The main building material that is used in Malawi in both rural and urban settings for all building types is burnt bricks. In the last two decades there has been a significant shift from mud walls (46.6% to 19.9%) mostly to bricks. Not only in urban areas, also the percentage of dwelling units with burnt bricks has significantly increased in the rural areas from about 10% to almost 40% in this duration. In some cases alternate materials have been experimented but with limited success. Compared to burnt clay bricks, concrete and other cement based products only account for 0.6% of all walling materials

In Malawi bricks are produced almost solely in traditional clamps fueled with fire wood. Typically a clamp consumes around 20 Tonnes of wood to fire 40,000 bricks. This puts enormous pressure on the remaining forests in Malawi which are already under high pressure from domestic demand. Given the pressure on forests and firewood, there is a keen interest of the government in the building materials sector, especially alternatives to traditional methods. Over the last few years, they are contemplating a ban on use of firewood for brick kiln firing and promoting concrete blocks. With no control on raw materials and process the product is extremely poor compared to the standards in other countries.

The two major concerns in the Malawi brick sector are increased deforestation due to use of fuel wood and poor brick quality resulting in poor construction quality and increasing construction costs. The increasing deforestation in the country, has prompted the Government of Malawi to sit up and take notice of the situation and explore alternatives.

1.2. Scope of work Through South – South technology transfer, a portfolio of building material production technologies was proposed to be transferred to Malawi. This technology demonstration and transfer initiative will have major outcomes in augmenting the supply of green, affordable building materials while simultaneously adopting livelihood approaches to poverty reduction in an LDC. In order to create a critical mass and ensure that the technology transfer is effective and taken up locally, a green building centre was planned to be created.

New approaches to operational practices require a paradigm shift from the conventional practices and the engrained mentality amongst entrepreneurs resisting to process innovations and new technology. This transformation requires extensive awareness;

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widespread demonstrations; intensive training and long term technology support for entrepreneurs and operators to adopt improved technology options.

This work presents an opportunity to mitigate climate change through reduction of GHG emissions, contributing to DFID’s emerging power touchstone issues. It would also support poverty reduction though creation of green jobs and boosting socio-economic development of Malawi.

1.3. The Project Given the strong South-South Cooperation development dialogue and India’s long standing presence in assisting development in various regions of the world, DFID has identified a new model for increased cooperation support to India. The Knowledge Partnership Programme aims to step up collaboration around ideas, knowledge, evidence, accountability, technology and innovation, impacting the delivery of global public goods and services and leverage Indian experiences to reduce poverty in LDCs. In light of this, the Development Alternatives Group proposed a South-South technology transfer assignment for green building material technologies to Malawi.

Keeping this in mind, the idea of technology transfer of the Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) for Malawi. The major objective in this initiative was to introduce an energy efficient and environment friendly technology to produce consistent quality bricks throughout the season. An assessment study illustrated that the TARA EcoKiln technology based on Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln principles became the obvious choice especially looking at the scale of production and the fuel type in Malawi. The basic criteria’s used to select technologies were based on production capacity, fuel type, product quality, investment capacity and ability to tap the carbon market.

The assignment leveraged the Indian experience in the brick sector to transfer technology effectively to Malawi. This technology demonstration and transfer initiative has major potential outcomes in augmenting the supply of green, affordable building materials while simultaneously adopting livelihood approaches to poverty reduction in an LDC like Malawi.

This initiative led to the following activities in Malawi:

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Transfer and adoptionof innovative technology i.e. TARA EcoKiln.

Created awareness among local stakeholder to promote and adopt this technology

Anchoring the technology in local context for sustainable development

During the course of the project, several meetings and workshops were conducted in Lilongwe, Malawi. The Department of Energy Affairs, Department of Environment Affairs, and National Construction Industry Council etc. have expressed a keen interest in promotion of such building materials from India.

Over the 13 months of engagement under KPP, the Development Alternatives Group through TARA has established and transferred VSBK technology and demonstrated the successful commissioning of this technology in Malawi. A Green Building Centre has been initiated where other building materials technology is in place to spread out the message and adoption of the technologies. The technology was transferred to a local agency (CCODE) and the local skill to manage daily operations has been completed.

However engagement is required for a longer period of time to combat upcoming technical and managerial challenges. This will assist in widespread impact in the lives of the local Malawi home owners and entrepreneurs. Thus a short term, follow on project was developed for a period of 6 months to technically support the new initiative and increase outreach of the technology. 2. Approach and Methodology New approaches to operational practices require a paradigm shift from the conventional practices and the engrained mentality amongst entrepreneurs resisting to process innovations and new technology. This transformation requires extensive awareness; widespread demonstrations; intensive training and long term technology support for entrepreneurs and operators to adopt improved technology options. The technology transfer programme included both the hardware and software skills e.g. equipment, tools and accessories, the entire production system know- how, material testing, analysis and quality control capability.

Figure 1: The Technology transferred to Malawi - TARA EcoKiln

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The local anchoring of technology needed to create ownership and address to development potential had been initiated under the previous phase. The follow on phase looked at consolidating the activities undertaken in the previous phase. Thus the assignment undertook a two pronged approach

Providing technical and capacity building support to the transferred technology Disseminating the technology widely both in Malawi and the neighbouring

countries Technical & Capacity Building Support This set of activities aimed to provide the existing kiln with technical and process engineering support to ensure smooth functioning of the units. Through supervision and quality control monitoring of the process of green brick making and firing capacities was strengthened at a multitude of levels. A capacity building programme was undertaken to strengthen the cadre of skilled personnel who can service and maintain the technology. This included machine operators, firemen and firing supervisors. Entrepreneurs were oriented on understanding and managing the technology and the unit. This was done primarily through workshops and seminars. TEVETA (Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority of Malawi) was identified as a local training organization to impart the required knowledge and skills, in order to institutionalize the process and enable sustainability even after the end of the programme. Dissemination & Knowledge Sharing The second set of activities under the project, aimed to disseminate the benefits of this technology to a larger stakeholder group in Malawi. This was done through awareness workshops to a wide stakeholder group. Entrepreneurs from across the country were invited to the workshop to introduce the technology and encourage more entrepreneurs to adopt the technology. The technology transfer project to Malawi was leveraged as an opportunity to further strengthen the regional capacities in Africa to multiply impacts. This is of significant importance since successful demonstrations of technologies in Malawi will increasingly bring up requests from neighboring countries. The project initiative also planned to tap in DFID Malawi and GIZ for the long term support & sustainability for better anchoring of the technology transfer and scale up. Thus a holistic approach was applied that considers the technological, environmental, economic, social and institutional aspects towards a successful technology transfer programme.

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3. Implementation of New Brick Firing Technology – The TARA Ecokiln

3.1. Enterprise and management support In Malawi during the course of work with EcoMatters Ltd, enterprise development ideas were shared for effective utilization of resources and rationalization of operation and staffing. During the start of the project, all the management control was with CCODE, Malawi. To simplify the operations of the parent holding unit, the following was advised and implemented in Malawi. The parent holding company of building materials and associated matters is now called Eco Matters Ltd. Formed through shareholding of Enterprise Development Holdings, the business consortium of CCODE and Women Federation of Malawi. Eco Matters Ltd. is governed by a Board of Directors with the overall management by a newly appointed CEO. Eco Matters Ltd., Lilongwe, Malawi has the following Divisions:

Eco Brick - Operation of burnt clay brick production by VSBK Eco Concrete - Concrete building material production Eco Machines - Assembly, sale and servicing of machineries and

equipments related to concrete and clay brick making. Will be importing machines and equipment primarily from India

Eco Tech - The technology transfer division for servicing VSBK entrepreneurs

This change has brought absolute clarity on the roles and responsibilities of each division. Each of these divisions will be headed by its own Divisional Heads. At present Mr. Nyirenda Jones is heading the Eco Brick Unit. He has more than 25 years of experience in working at the grinding unit of Lafarge Cements, Blantyre. Divisional Head for Eco Concrete is being searched for and will be implemented once the brick business stabilizes. The other two Units are too nascent to have any Heads. For the time being they will be looked after by Eco Matters Ltd., Technical Director, Mr. Peter Schramm. Once the business viability is demonstrated, new Division Heads will be appointed. 3.2. Technical and quality control Raw material quality At EcoMatters Ltd., three types of soils are presently being used for green brick making i.e. yellow, brown and black. Generally black soils are collected from the bed of dry streams and are plastic in nature. The brown and yellow soils are collected from land and are coarse grained in nature. Based on the request of Malawian and German experts a detailed study was undertaken to evaluate the three types of clay and establish its

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suitability in brick making with emphasis on the fast firing technology usually being followed in the TARA EcoKiln. On burning in a bomb calorimeter, the black clay did not show any organic matter content

although it was reported that the coal consumption during firing a brick made with black clay was substantially lower compared to the other clays. Thermogravimetric analysis of the three soils shows that all the three soils are complex in nature. There is an appreciable mass loss both between 100-200OC and between 300-400OC. Whereas the earlier mass loss is due to free moisture loss, the later is due to chemical reactions of mineral phases. Similarly the maximum mass loss

is during the period 500-600OC due to dehydroxilation of mineral phases. Similar results have been obtained during Differential thermogravimetric analysis. Similar kinds of endothermic reactions and observed at the stated temperatures. These are mainly due to release of chemical water. However reason for these structural changes can be determined only through a detailed characterization study which was beyond the scope of this investigation. X-ray diffraction of powder samples show that all the three clays consist mainly quartz and alumino-silicate phases. The alumino silicates consist of phyllosilicate group of minerals containing impurities of Fe, Mg, Ca, etc. From the peak intensity it can be inferred that all the brown and yellow soil contains more quartz compared to the black soils. Coal and internal fuel samples has also been tested for calorific values. Test results confirm no change in quality in the fuel compared to earlier period. During the various visit, inputs on soil quality for green brick making was sought after by Eco Matters Ltd. The issue was with varied quality of bricks even at the same firing temperature, differential shrinkage between fired bricks and variation in coal consumption. Thus physical on-site tests were conducted on three different types of soils being used. It was seen that there was difference in grit/sand and other coarser particles which was leading to variation in quality. Additionally a black colour soil was being procured which had carbon content in the form of organic matter. The soil was much more clayey in nature and had a high plasticity by feel also.

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 10002.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0

-0.5

T(0 C

) End

othe

rmic

Dow

n

Brown Soil Yelow Soil Black Soil

820C

760C720C

5110C

5080C

4900C

9420C9400C

Figure 2: DTA analysis of all three types of clays from Malawi

Figure 3: Different varieties of soil used for brick making

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All different soil and coal samples were also collected for testing and analysis. For the time being it was suggested to use equal quantity of both black soils with both the brown and yellow soils. On-site tests done showed reduced shrinkage and shrinkage cracks with an improved finish also. Changes were also made on the quantification of internal fuel use. Training sessions of Divisional Head and Technical Director were taken on the type of stacking to be adopted for reducing shrinkage cracks and making maximum use of drying spaces. Proper process for ageing of soil was also discussed and agreed upon to be followed.

Green brick making

The EcoKiln enterprise, EcoMatters Limited, Selima, Malawi had started green brick production in a commercial manner from April 2015 after the monsoon season. Till the end

of September 2015 they have made around 1

million green bricks. All green bricks were being made by TBMM (TARA Brick Mek Machine) alongwith a high capacity extruder. The TBMM is being operated 24x7 without interruption since last April 2015. The operation is being done in three shifts to feed the TARA EcoKiln with adequate quantity of dried green bricks. During operation of TBMM, there were initial breakdowns and operation issues. Thus workers were trained in equipment maintenance also alongwith green brick making. After stabilized operation, the performance of the green brick moulding machine has been appreciated quite highly amongst the brick makers in Malawi. This also speaks quite highly of Indian engineering efficiency amongst all the competition from other countries to deliver brick making equipments – an effective example of South-South collaboration and technology transfer.

Figure 5: Mixing of different types of soil Figure 6: Production of green bricks in mechanized brick making machine -TBMM

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The TARA EcoKiln at Lilongwe is a four shaft kiln and requires a minimum of 17,500 dried green per day to operate all the shafts. Till July 2015 only the TBMM was used for green brick production. Even with three shifts of operation, the maximum bricks that could be produced in a single day was 12,000. This was not sufficient to operate all the four shafts. Thus Eco Matters Ltd. had invested on a second hand extruder available with a brick entrepreneur in Lilongwe. The extruder is of Chinese origin and has the capability of producing 7,000 bricks per hour. By the help of a German expert, the machine has been commissioned in August 2015. TARA team provided support for soil selection, preparation, processing and other issues. The quality of the green brick was also monitored and required process improvements was advised to improve the finish. However the synchronization between material flow, production and stacking, drying is still being worked out. It has been estimated that another brick season will be required to fully commission the system and feed all the four shafts. Hollow green bricks are being produced from the very beginning to optimize energy consumption and drying. The density of the dried green bricks are much higher that the TBMM bricks and thus is expected to achieve quite high fired quality. Eco Matters Ltd. has sought support in improving the finish of the green bricks through mix designs and process changes. All the efforts are being directed towards the high capacity extruder at present. Thus the TBMM is not under operation. In the month of September, two new types of bricks was developed. In existing hollow extruder bricks, the diameter of the holes was increased from 25 to 30mm, reducing use of soil by another 5%. These type of bricks will also consume less energy to fire. During September Eco Matters Ltd. has started experimenting with a new type of brick having higher dimension of 230x190x9.75 mm. This brick type would reduce cement costs from MK 3,100/m² (traditional brick) to MK 900/m² (new type).

Figure 4: Fired bricks being unloaded

Figure 4: High capacity extruder under operation

Figure 5: Comparison of extruded (hollow) and TBMM bricks.

Figure 9: 25mm hollow bricks being produced

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Also the time needed to construct a wall will be reduced. Thus Eco Matters, Lilongwe thinks that it would have its market here in Malawi. Another critical aspect of green brick production is appropriate drying, stacking and storage of green bricks before they are transferred to the loading platform of the kiln to feed in to the shaft. Generally in Malawi in traditional brick making bricks are dried in the open covered with leaves and biomass. This helps in reducing cracks due to exposure from direct sunlight. During the technology transfer process, proper scientific drying process was explained and demonstrated to ensure uniform drying with minimal breakages, thereby improving the outputs.

Maintenance of equipments and machines Most of the equipments supplied by TARA Machines Pvt. Ltd., India, i.e. hydraulics and the conveyer belts are functioning properly. During the initial period of operation there were issues of proper operation. These were mainly due to improper maintenance and lack of operational knowledge despite the fact that they were trained by TARA. It was agreed that there needs to be continuous training programmes to enable the operators to use the equipments without any issues. Eco Matters Ltd. has also requested to look at training of small workshops in Lilongwe, Malawi on machine maintenance and repairs. This will enable to provide quality and timely service as and when needed in the future phase. Although the TBMM was running smoothly for 24 hours in three shifts, issues of frequent breakdowns and productivity was raised. In the beginning, there were frequent stoppages due to breakage of safety nuts. This was overcome after proper training and practice. At present there are no breakages. The only issue remains is with productivity. As per the rated capacity around 1200 bricks can be made in an hour. Since there is mismatch between feeding of soil into the moulds, thus the productivity is being reduced. This was suggested to be overcome by reducing the speed of rotation of the shaft. Additionally, the quality of the moulds also needs to be improved. It was also suggested to take up this matter with equipment supplier in India. Even with all these issues, the TBMM’s soft mud moulding concept was appreciated. With some modifications for typical Malawi conditions, the machine is expected to be quite

Figure 10: Improvised drying system for extruded bricks to avoid shrinkage cracks

Figure 11: Operation of TBMM

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popular especially with small scale brick manufacturers. However competition will be from small scale Chinese extruders which are easy to make even in Malawi and have an improved productivity.

TARA EcoKiln operation During the initial stabilized operational phase from April 2015, there were quite a number of issues regarding material availability and operation. Thus there were frequent stops and starts which resulted in the TARA EcoKiln not being stabilized. In the month of September, Shaft 1 was started from the 11th. and is running continuously (reported till October 2015). The shaft 2 was started on the 19th. but was closed after 5 days due to extruder breakdown and shortage of green bricks. The performance of the Shaft 1 for the month of September 2015 is plotted below.

It is seen from the graph that the TARA EcoKiln was never operated in a stabilized manner. Ideally after 2-3 days of shaft initialization, the number of batches unloaded should be constant. Due to operational reasons there might be a variation of only 1-2 batches from an average of 12 batches. However in most of the cases, Shaft 1 was operated sub-optimally. This has led to lower productivity also. Apart from the number of batches unloaded, the rate of productivity per batch also varied. Ideally in a 1-open and 5-closed packing system, the number of bricks varies between 504

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Figure 12: Fired bricks being produced in the TARA EcoKiln

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to 544. Packing density is varied to control the fire position. Except the last week of September 2015 there was quite a variation in the productivity also.

It was observed that the chimney exhaust temperature was quite high. We could not measure the flue gas temperature since monitoring equipments were not available. However physical evaluation confirms the high temperature. Also it was observed that the unloading temperature was high. Thus the fire zone has prolonged itself to a couple of batches rather than being at the central batch. This is also due to the very high wind blowing from the morning to the evening. It was suggested that a

mechanism be developed to close the airflow from the unloading area and control the draught.

Poor quality of bricks leads to high breakage during the firing process since the TARA EcoKiln follows the principle of “Garbage In = Garbage Out”. This is one of the major reasons for improvement of the quality of green bricks. With the kind of stiff extrusion being followed, the strength of the green bricks are very high which should give atleast a strength of 10MPa. No definite conclusions can be made since the strength of the fired bricks have not

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Figure 13: Fired bricks being unloaded

Figure 14: High fired brick breakage due to poor green brick quality

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been measured. The graph below shows the average breakage rate in the Shaft 1. As per the quality of the extrusion process, the breakage should be less than 2%. This breakage has been achieved in the past also. It was seen that the firemen were loading all the different kinds of green bricks that we made available to them at the loading platform. Quite a number of bricks are not suitable for loading even. Thus a system of quality control of green bricks was constituted which would reject the poor quality green bricks at the drying yard only. These reject green bricks can be reused again after grinding and pulverizing.

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Although the coal consumption had reduced gradually, still there is a substantial scope for reduction considering the past achievements. There is quite a substantial heat loss in the present firing process from the top of the shaft, flue gas and the unloaded fired brick batches. If these energy leakages can be plugged than the efficiency of the kiln can be improved further. 3.3. Business performance The business performance of Eco Matters Ltd. is quite satisfactory till date. It is a new company and will need time and investment to start producing results. There are teething problems which are being solved but are also delaying the breakeven goal. The price of the bricks has been revised from MK 55 to MK 82. This includes the high VAT and taxes as levied by the Government. The major issue with which the company is grappling are the high overhead costs. At present the overheads are only borne by the brick business. As the concrete business comes into production, they will be reduced. Moreover the production is at less than 50% efficiency and capacity which is also a major factor for increased overheads. At present the Housing Company of Enterprise Development Holdings is the major

consumer of bricks. Since they have made a substantial capital investment of MK 2,000,000 thus they are getting the bricks at a subsidized rate. This is also very encouraging since there is a captive market for Eco Matters Ltd. at present. Till date around 520,000 bricks has been sold to the Housing Company. With increased visibility Eco Matters is now getting enquiries for bricks and also corresponding orders. The GIZ project of community schools has expressed interest for 1,000,000 bricks. British Embassy has also expressed interest in

these bricks. Most important that local entrepreneurs of Lilongwe are also purchasing bricks albeit small quantities. 4. Introduction of Eco-Concrete Technology Apart from burnt clay bricks, there has been a strong demand from the Housing companies in Malawi for good quality concrete based alternate building materials that can be produced locally with local raw materials. Considering the market demand concrete products made by vibration technology was introduced in Malawi. These include micro concrete roofing tiles, paving blocks, kerb stones and reinforced concrete door and window frames. In the concrete building material production system, the micro concrete roofing tiles and door

Figure 15: TARA EcoKiln bricks being used in housing construction

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frame production has been started. A new concrete mixer has been procured and curing infrastructure is in place. During the visit in September, the production of RCC door frame was demonstrated to the all-women production team.

The production team of eco-concrete products consists of only 5 women engaged in batching of raw materials, mixing, operation of table vibrator, demoulding and even curing. Since it has just started, thus all effort was concentrated on getting the production right while attaining required quality and dimensional tolerance. Thus no effort was given on productivity. Once the team gains the required quality and are accustomed to the new production process, efforts will be made to improve the number of frames being produced.

However during the course of the demonstration period a dire need was felt on continued training and quality control. The eco-concrete technologies are absolutely new to Malawi and the team certainly needs a substantial support.

Another area of future support needed is the application of these building material products in housing construction.

5. Capacity Building Initiatives During the initial period of April-June 2015, feedback was received on inconsistent quality of green bricks being produced. This was mainly due to inability in choosing the right quality of soil for green brick making. This was an extremely important factor in the TARA EcoKiln operation since incorrect choice of soil can lead to breakages during production as well as firing Thus it was planned to provide an extensive training to TBMM workers on

Figure 16: Women engaged in production of RCC door and window frames at EcoMatters Ltd., Malawi

Figure 17: Systematic stacking of green bricks for drying

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benchmark practices of TBMM operation and green brick moulding.

The training of workers on green brick production comprised of raw mix design and batching of mixes with appropriate quantities of different types of soil to produce good quality bricks.

In the eco-concrete production, limited progress was made initially due to lack of proper training on raw material selection, concrete mix design, reinforcement and their spacing and casting with curing. TARA looked at the best possible resource in hand to provide this hands on training. There was a need expressed to modify the design of the frame and the locking mechanism as per Malawi standards. A training to address this was organized in the first week of October. The training focused on

MCR tiles making process Value addition of door frames

A team of 9 persons (7 female and 2 male) were involved in the three day hands on training programme on manufacturing of quality eco-concrete products from 4-8th October 2015. As this was the first time the technology was introduced in Malawi, it was essential before starting the training programme, for a detailed product introduction to be delivered to enhance understanding during the training. The training involved imparting information on MCR tiles, machines and its function.

The present design of moulds can feed to requirement only for the door of toilet for schools. On the basis of the need at Malawi, the locking design in the existing technology was not suited with their standard locks, so there was a need to adapt their lock design and incorporate in the existing technology. The conceptual product was made. A small change was needed to be made to fasten the locking plate. To do that, cast the frame by placing the tower bolt at both the ends of the wooden insert attached with the mould. During this modification process, the entire eco-concrete team was trained on problem identification, analysis and providing solution also.

Figure 18: Women being imparted on-the-job training on Eco-Concrete building material production

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However the need for a long term training was felt in each and every step, even when working with experienced workers.

6. Policy Influencing Efforts Given the good response during the inaugural workshop, the team decided to pursue policy change at the Central Ministry level to ensure accelerated uptake of TARA EcoKiln and Eco-Concrete technology. The Government of Malawi has been contemplating a ban on traditional brick making activities. They were unable to do so due to the lack of a suitable alternative. With the TARA EcoKiln being introduced and benefits visibly demonstrated, this discussion is back on the table.

The project team held various meetings with the Minister and Secretary, Natural Resources, Energy, Mining and Environment to take this issue up further. During these meetings, the importance of a favourable policy was placed and was supported by the Principal Secretary. It was suggested to draft a conducive policy which will look at both the demand and supply value chain of the energy efficient brick manufacturing technologies. The major issue will be to reduce consumption of wood, reduce carbon emissions, create jobs especially for women and improve the quality of housing and infrastructure in Malawi. It would be quite helpful if the policy also touches upon the Sustainable Development Goals to garner support amongst the International community. It was further suggested to give case studies of India to support the process. The policy should also be backed by field survey, assessment and scientific data so that it can be placed to the Cabinet for approval.

Additionally, DFID Malawi has expressed interest to include the TARA EcoKiln dissemination programme under their Climate Change Country Programme for the next 6 years. Based on the requirements of DFID Malawi country programme a 2-page note was submitted in association with DFID India.

7. Knowledge Dissemination The main emphasis of dissemination was

Engaging with expression of interests to consolidate demand Creating awareness on energy efficient and environment friendly technologies

through workshop and exposure visit to the kiln

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The proper working of Malawi EcoKiln has created a lot of publicity especially in African countries. Interest has been shown from Nigeria and Myanmar to adopt this technology. Correspondence between the project team and entrepreneur is going on and TARA is assessing what could be best possible way to approach and service the client of Africa and Myanmar.

There have been a number of articles and press coverages by the German Embassy in the internet and social media. This has created quite an interest amongst the expats working in Malawi. TARA in association with Eco Matters Ltd. gave a presentation on TARA EcoKiln and the dissemination phase to MIERA (More Income and Employment in Rural Areas) team of GIZ for possible support. This is still being followed up.

.A workshop on Cleaner Brick Production Technologies Supporting Malawi’s Initiative towards a Low Carbon Economy was organized on 10th November 2015 at Ufulu Garden Hotel, Lilongwe. This workshop aimed to showcase alternate brick production technologies and other green technologies that have been introduced in Malawi and can help reduce the pressure on the fast depleting Malawian forests. It was attended by over 80 entrepreneurs and contractors.

The workshop was supported in principle by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The workshop also had a registration desk for interested entrepreneurs who want to set up new TARA EcoKiln enterprises. A site visit was organized to the site to enable potential entrepreneurs to observe the unit in operation and interact with the staff. This was an interesting experience, showcasing a technology vastly different from the conventional process of brick making. There was also an opportunity for

Figure 19: Dissemination Workshop at Lilongwe

Figure 21: CEO of EcoMatters Ltd. explaining the benefits of TARA EcoKiln to participants

Figure 20: Principal Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources, Govt. of Malawi, speaking on support of policy change for energy efficient and environment friendly brick making technologies

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buyers and developers to place orders for the purchase of energy efficient bricks.

This workshop was an enlightening experience that showcased how south-south development cooperation can result in productive technology transfer that has the potential to transform the lives and homes of the people of Malawi. Besides providing good quality bricks that do not harm the forest wealth of the country, it also provides jobs to the local people, including women and helps them enhance their lives. There is a need to encourage and promote the adoption of such technologies across the country. This view was endorsed publically by the Ministry as well.

Following is the status of knowledge dissemination across Africa due to project efforts and technology transfer in Malawi.

Sl Name Country Email Status

1 John Ogunlela Nigeria johnogunlela@ gmail.com

Mail sent on technology

2 Andrea Morandi

Mozambique andreaduepuntozero@gmail.com

Submitted own proposal to Government for support

3 Baraka Mussam

Tanzania barakamussam@yahoo.com

Information on VSBK given. Invited to the Lilongwe kiln.

4 George Zizhou Lesotho vgzizhou@ gmail.com

Being followed up

5 Riteet Dinesh Jetha

Kenya riteetjetha@ gmail.com

He is having a Hoffman kiln where he fires different types of tiles. He has invited us to Mombasa. He is very keen to have further discussion.

Figure 22: Director, Small & Medium Enterprise Development Institute, Govt. of Malawi explaining the process of setting up eco-friendly enterprises

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During the course of the Project implementation, it was learnt of a VSBK built out of own investment on the outskirts of Lilongwe by a private entrepreneur Mwaya Bolokonya operated under the brand EcoBuild. The kiln was visited by TARA and Eco Matters Ltd. It is a single shaft VSBK constructed as per Nicaraguan design of EcoSur. The shaft height is quite low and has a firebox at the middle of the shaft. Chimneys are provided to take out the exhaust gases. However the fuel used is only wood. The kiln has been test fired but with limited success. The green brick production system is extremely interesting made by a low cost Chinese extruder. Quality of the green bricks being produced are better than the traditional clamp fired bricks. It was agreed with the entrepreneur to share basic knowledge as and when required.

8. Social Interventions It was understood that almost more than a quarter of the workforce in the Eco Brick Division are women. The Eco Concrete Division is totally controlled by women workers. Most of these workers are women from nearby villages and earn around MK 45,000 per month. They are a part of the regular staff member of Eco Matters Ltd. They also enjoy all the privileges of the social security system of the business.

At present out of a total workforce of 140 workers more than 50 are women. The women workers handle both the easy and hard work of transfer of green bricks with comfort alongwith their male counterparts. In each and every aspect of brick production, they are employed. The only production aspect where women are not employed are in the operation of TARA EcoKiln. This is due to working in early morning and late night which is not encouraged for women sue to security reasons.

Figure 24: Low cost Chinese extruder bring used

Figure 23: Nicaraguan design of VSBK in Malawi

Figure 25: Women workers managing transportation of finished green bricks

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9. Results and Impacts Created The project was instrumental in introducing a new low carbon technology for brick making in Malawi. The obvious benefits of the technology transfer are summarized below.

Fired bricks produced (cumulative) : 800,000 nos. Coal used (cumulative) : 43 tonnes Bricks sold : 590,000 nos.

Triple bottom line impacts (cumulative) generated by the project include

Environment Amount of CO2 reduced : not measured Amount of firewood saved : 270 tons Amount of waste utilized : 100 tons (tobacco waste)

Economic

Business generated by the enterprise : MK 40 million = USD 80,000

Social No. of jobs created 145 Women employed 50

Based on the production figures, the Specific Energy Consumption of the TARA EcoKiln is 0.48 MJ/kg of fired bricks. This is by far the best performance of all and any EcoKilns constructed throughout the world in Asian, African and South American countries. This is even lower that any best available clay brick firing technologies globally. TARA team is planning to get the Specific Energy Consumption certified by any competent external agency for validation. However as per the current figures, till date Malawi EcoKiln is the world’s most energy efficient clay brick firing technology.

Eco Bricks Limited gives priority to women for creating job opportunities and economic empowerment. Traditionally women are not involved in any type of brick making activity in Malawi. At present out of a total workforce of 140 workers more than 50 are women. The women workers handle both the easy and hard work of transfer of green bricks with comfort along with their male counterparts. These women are employed on TARA Brick Mek Machine for green brick moulding; dried green brick transportation to conveyor, production of concrete products e.g. RCC door and window frames and other general routine works. The only production aspect where women are not employed are in the operation of VSBK. This is due to working in early morning and late night which is not encouraged for women sue to security reasons.

All women are paid on monthly salary basis. Each of them are earning around MK 45,000 per month which is three times higher than the usual wage rate in Malawi. They are a part

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of the regular staff member of Eco Matters Ltd. They also enjoy all the privileges of the social security system of the business.

Interviews of women have been taken and published as a social security case study in the media highlighting the benefits of an EcoKiln system. These case studies reflect the importance of technologies to bring in a social change in the lives of women.

The change effected in Malawi is represented below

Parameters Traditional Brick TARA EcoKiln Brick

Fuel type Uses only firewood Uses only coal

Fuel consumption Wood 30 Ton/100,000 brick

Coal 5 Ton/100,000 brick

Specific fuel consumption Clamp 1.5MJ/kg of fired bricks

TARA EcoKiln 0 .6 MJ/kg of fired bricks

Quality of bricks Compressive strength 20 to 30 kg/cm²

Compressive strength 48 to 55 kg/cm²

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Wall quality Traditional Malawi bricks With TARA EcoKiln bricks

Working Environment

Wages per day MK 250 to MK 300 MK 1,500

% of women working Mostly women work in agricultural field

30% of workforce at TARA EcoKiln are women

Type of work done by women

Mainly agriculture

All members of Eco-Crete Business unit are women

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10. Progress Achieved Against Planned Outputs

11. Way Forward The TARA EcoKiln solution based on Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln principles implemented by EcoMatters Ltd., in Malawi through technical and management support provided by TARA was a promising intervention to mitigate deforestation in Malawi. As a successful model, the kiln was able to deliver successfully the energy and environment benefits and has opened new opportunities for dissemination not only in the country but across the African continent. While it created opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship, especially for women, it had certain essential socio-political spin offs.

Sl Planned outputs Achieved outputs

1 Inception report Delivered

2 Market assessment report for green building materials

Market assessment report for green building materials in Malawi

3 Commissioning of Building Centre, user, production and other manuals, leaflets, brochures

TARA EcoKiln and EcoConcrete technology delivered and demonstrated in Malawi

Brochure of Cleaner Production Technologies suitable for Malawi

VSBK Design Manual VSBK Construction Manual Green Brick Making Manual VSBK Operation Manual Production manual for MCR technology

4 Final report Final project report with recommendations to

ensure accelerated adoption and scale up of the technology portfolio

5 Additional outputs delivered (Not planned)

3 leaflets on MCR, RCC door frames and Eco Bricks

Three monthly progress reports on technology dissemination

EcoConcrete training reports Dissemination Workshop reports Gender empowerment stories

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Although the bricks produced are being marketed at five times more expensive than the existing traditional variety, the cost of construction has been reduced by 30% pertaining to the minimized use of mortar. The initial investment for setup of the kiln seems high, along with uncertain markets due to higher price of the yield, but successful evidence has created a conducive policy environment. Although the end user may not be able to afford this expensive variety, the government plans to deploy such bricks for all state construction activities. This hedges the risk for potential entrepreneurs to invest and break even with a greater degree of certainty.

A systematic approach with concomitant policy support makes it a win-win strategy towards carbon abatement and to counter deforestation. Employment opportunities for more than 50 women has further made it a suitable vocational alternative for women making them earn up to three times more than traditional brick making set ups.

In terms of the sustainability of the initiative, government plans to phase out the conventional brick making systems and mainstream VSBK with greater realization of benefits by the masses. For the interim period, other donor agencies may take up the upscale stages of implementation along with constant awareness initiatives.

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12. References

1. Green Brick making Manual: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_Green_1221278573.pdf

2. Final Narrative Report: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_Final_1803637742.pdf

3. Training Report- VSBK: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_Training_7996928892.pdf

4. Technical Report on Commissioning: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_Technical_2041360823.pdf

5. Awareness Workshop Report: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_Awareness_1894719155.pdf

6. Inaugural Workshop Report: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_Inaugural_3966597551.pdf

7. VSBK Construction Manual: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_South-South_1065772538.pdf

8. Cleaner Building Material Production Technologies: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18__2975124807.pdf

9. Operational Manual- commissioning and operations of VSBK: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18__5302637918.pdf

10. Design manual-Design of energy efficient & environment friendly brick firing technology (VSBK): http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_South-South_1749537940.pdf

11. Methods of production of green bricks through the TARA BrickMek-Super: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_TARA_1497743468.pdf

12. Market Assessment Report: http://www.ipekpp.com/admin/upload_files/Report_1_18_South_2358641958.pdf

13. www.ecobrick.in, www.devalt.org, www.tara.in

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About the Knowledge Partnership Programme

In the era of globalisation, India’s strengths are its democracy, vigilant civil society, a growing economy and investment in development through policies, programmes and innovation. Considering the increased focus on South-South Cooperation development dialogue and India’s experience in addressing development challenges and assisting development in various regions of the world, the Government of UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) is implementing a new model of cooperation support in India through the Knowledge Partnership Programme (KPP). KPP is funded by DFID and managed by a Consortium led by IPE Global Private Limited under its Knowledge Initiative.

About Technology & Action for Rural Advancement

The Society for Technology & Action for Rural Advancement (TARA) is a social enterprise set up in the year 1985 at New Delhi, India. It is an "incubation engine" of the Development Alternatives Group which has been providing development solutions in India and elsewhere. TARA as an “enabler” is instrumental in the creation of livelihood support systems, training and capacity building for the rural poor and marginalized communities. TARA as an “aggregator” bundles support service packages, help large corporation explore new markets and also aggregate the output of local producer groups including micro, mini and small enterprises and connect these groups to market opportunities for BOP access and market development for ethical products and services. Governments, large Corporations and Civil Society networks benefit from TARA’s expertise as a “manager” of large awareness creation, environmental action, community development and service delivery programmes in areas such as affordable housing, renewable energy, water management, sustainable agriculture, waste management and recycling.

Contact Details:

Technology and Action for Rural Advancement B-32, TARA Crescent, Qutub Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016

Email: smaity@devalt.org