Valley of the Biodigesters

Will Jensen with inflated digester bag - gas line installed

Some the the adorable cuys that will provide poop power to the system

Will Jensen, my surfing Peace Corps site-mate, installed a biodigester at Don Leo’s cuy (guinea pig) farm last week. This is the fourth digester built by PC in the Canete Valley. Add to that the Concrete digester in Roma and all the small barrel units in the area and we figure The Valley of the Biodigesters is fitting.

Ingrid and I went to help install and fill the beast. Will and Leo had done a fine job of building the ditch to spec and lining it with plastic and insulation. One of the things I adore about the PC is how we help each other – a team were everyone else has your back. Leo is a brick mason, welder and cuy farmer, so he is quite a capable guy. Instead of the wind method of filling the big bag with air, so it settles properly in the ditch, we used an air compressor. Not as much fun, but highly effective.

While the bag was filling, we ran the gas line to Leo’s nearby kitchen, where he also has a cocina mejorada (improved cook stove) in progress. He may even try a hybrid gas/wood cocina. The rebar was bent and covered with hose and installed to form the greenhouse cover supports. All done before lunch, which was (surprise) cuy – a first time for Ingrid. They are sweet and tasty, but not much meat on the bone.

After lunch, we took a tour of the cuy farm. The little critters are perfectly adorable and make a bird-like chirp, while scurrying around. I never had one as a pet, but understand the attraction. Their favorite food is the leaves of the corn stalk, supplemented with citrus rind and some vitamin enriched chow. He has 500 now and plans to expand. A fully fattened cuy sells for up to 20 soles ($8) each.

Ingrid - up to her elbows in Cuy manure

We added some cuy intestines to innoculate the digester with bacteria

We then got down to the business of filling the bag with cuy manure, blended with water to form a delightful Cuy Poop slurry. Leo pulverized the dry manure and Ingrid and Will broke up any remaining big chunks by hand, while I handled the mix process. My MacGuyver style mixer, attached to a power drill proved too much for the fragile mixing tank. Leo produced some cuy intestines, which provided the inoculation and blessing of the mix with gut bacteria. In all, we added about 1600 liters of mix, which Leo will supplement over the next 2 months. Roldan, the little village where he lives, only has water for a few hours each week, so this is a limiting factor. No limitation on the cuy manure – they make about 15 sacks a week and he’ll only need 2-3.

A good hand-wash and a cold drink eased the dusty ride back to town – job Well Done !!