Adoption and perceptions of biogas: Empirical evidence from rural households of Melani village in Raymond Mhlaba municipality

Abstract

Renewable energies, which include biogas, have been identified as a possible panacea for the energy challenges faced by the poor and can potentially ensure that they obtain cheaper energy that is more accessible and environmentally sustainable. However, its adoption and use has been limited despite the important trade-offs it offers to rural households. Literature on agricultural innovations show that perceptions have an impact on decision-making in respect of adoption of new technology, and biogas is no exception. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of systematic studies on the adoption and perception of biogas. This study aimed to assess the use and perceptions of biogas among rural farming households and identify factors affecting adoption of biogas digesters. A cross-sectional survey of 48 households, randomly selected from Melani village, was conducted. Descriptive statistics and the Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) model were employed to address the study objectives. Descriptive statistics showed remarkable disparities between biogas adopters and non-adopters. Findings from the BLR show that age has a negative influence on biogas adoption, whilst employment status, land size and education have positive impacts on biogas adoption. Information on the economic benefits of low cost biogas should be accessible to rural households. We recommended that rural households be made aware of biogas digesters and the design of small-scale rural biogas policies take cognisance of the socio-economic characteristics of biogas adopters.

Keywords:

• agricultural innovations
• biogas technology
• economic benefit
• adoption
• rural development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Acknowledgements

The paper was based on Ngcobo, 2017 MSc. Agric. thesis, which was since developed into a conference paper (Ngcobo et al. 2019.)