Practices and Challeges of Domestic Biogas Technology Use: The Case of, Wondogenet District and Hawassa City Administration, Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study assessed the existing practices, identified the factors which influences the usage and the challenges that prohibit the expansion of the technology both at the rural and urban settings. Multi stage sampling procedures were applied to identify households for final interview. 14 kebeles from wondogenet district and Tulas sub-city of Hawassa city administration was selected purposively based on their usage of the technology and years of their experience. Households were stratified as users and non users of the technology then after a total of 178 households (85 from users and 93 non users) were randomly selected and interviewed. Among ten variables which were fitted to logistic regression model and six were significantly influenced the decision making of households to use biogas technology. Age of the household head, family size, access to credit, cattle holding, awareness about the technology and shortage of energy for cooking and lighting were significantly and positively influenced the adoption of the technology. Shortage of space to dispose biogas slurry at urban and pier-urban setting, Absence of appliance like Injera Mitad and inflation of construction materials price which in turn inflate construction cost of the technology and low performance of loan repayment by expecting donation were among major challenges to develop the technology as desired and planed.