Biogas technology for rural energy security: An investigation of uptake and diffusion in Meskan District, Southern Ethiopia

The production, use, and dissemination of biogas technology as an energy source have not been fully investigated, despite the fact that it can significantly influence rural energy development in the research region either directly or indirectly. The purpose of this study was to look at how the biogas technology was adopted and spread throughout the Meskan district in the Southern region. Using semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, KII, and in-person observations, 134 families with biogas technology and 134 households without it provided the primary data for this study in 2020. Nonetheless, the study demonstrated that the rural poor's quality of life is significantly improved by the application of biogas technology. In comparison to non-users, biogas users have cut cooking, fuel wood collecting time by 70% daily, and raised their net revenue by $292, or 72% annually, according to the results of an economic profit study. The findings of the regression analysis indicated the importance of the following factors: the number of cattle owned, the source of water, the family head's sex, education, income, and availability of credit, extension services, and training. The absence of reliable maintenance, follow-up, and supervision services was brought up by 68% of respondents who were not adopters. Increased focus on and assistance for raising livestock, lending money to farmers, teaching them how to build biogas plants and how to use the technology responsibly to maximize profits, and maintaining and repairing partially and partially operational. Raising livestock should receive more attention and support, farmers should be given credit, they should be trained in the construction of biogas plants and how to use the technology sustainably to maximize profits, non-operational and partially-operational biogas plants should be maintained and repaired, and general public awareness regarding the proper storage and use of bio-slurry should be raised.