On April 10, the kick-off meeting for the project “Capacity Building on Rural Biogas Circular Agriculture in Porongo, Santa Cruz, Bolivia” was held online. The project is initiated by the Global South-South Development Center, supported by the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), and undertaken by BIOMA. It is an important component of the China-UN Global South-South Development Cooperation Fund.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Xie Jin, Director of the UN Division II of CICETE; Mr. Zhang Jianbo, Consul of the Chinese Consulate General in Santa Cruz; Dr. Dabudubu, President of the Private Technological University of Santa Cruz; and Mr. He Mingxiong, Deputy Director of BIOMA. Invited experts included Prof. Deng Liangwei, Chief Engineer of BIOMA, and Prof. Liu Changquan from the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The project aims to promote the localized application and dissemination of Chinese biogas technologies in rural communities of Porongo, develop a context-appropriate circular agriculture model based on biogas, and contribute to sustainable rural development.

Mr. Xie Jin introduced the background and overall framework of Phase II projects under the Global South-South Development Center. Prof. Zhang Mingming elaborated on the project from five aspects: background, objectives, expected outputs, implementation plan, and research team. Prof. Guzmán from the Private Technological University of Santa Cruz presented the local agricultural and energy context as well as progress in field investigations. Prof. Wang Wenguo introduced the technical pathway and preliminary design of the project.

Participants also discussed key issues including project deliverable acceptance criteria, division of responsibilities, and budget allocation. Experts provided suggestions on technical design and capacity building, emphasizing the integration of biogas and fertilizer utilization, adopting context-specific approaches (“biogas where suitable, fertilizer where appropriate”), and enhancing farmers’ acceptance.

Representatives from the UN Division II of CICETE, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, the Chinese Consulate General in Santa Cruz, the Private Technological University of Santa Cruz, and the Santa Cruz Branch of the Bolivian Society of Engineers attended the meeting. Experts from BIOMA, including the Department of Research Management, the Team of Strategy and Policy on Rural Biomass Energy and Living Environments Development, the Team of Animal Wastes Utilization as Energy and Pollution Control, and theTraining and Information Research Center, also participated.