Abstract:
This study sought to examine the use of biogas among households in
Akwatia. It assessed the extent of household willingness to adopt biogas as
domestic fuel, identified factors influencing its adoption and evaluated the
influence of the use of biogas in the home on household finances using the
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The mixed-methods approach was used
to collect and analyse qualitative and quantitative data, using a sample size of
357. Stratified and convenience sampling were used for the quantitative phase
while purposive sampling was used for the qualitative study. Questionnaire and
interview guide were used for data collection. Quantitative information
collected were analysed with SPSS version 20 and presented using descriptive
statistics. Descriptive analysis was used to present the qualitative data obtained.
There was some level of awareness (more than 77.6 %) on the use of biogas as
a domestic fuel source among households while most households (89.5 %) in
the study area were willing to use biogas as their domestic fuel source for
economic reasons. The cost of installing biogas plants, lack of adequate
knowledge on biogas, inadequate substrate to fuel digesters, lack of technical
services, and difficulty in operating biogas plants were identified as factors
negatively affecting the use of biogas as a domestic fuel source. The use of
biogas as domestic fuel was seen to influence household finance. It reduced
household expenditure on fuel by 65 % as well as the cost of healthcare and
waste management, as well as aided income generation among households.
There is the need for government to subsidise household biogas construction
costs and invest in the adoption of biogas technology to address some of the
challenges faced by households.
