Background: Solid biomass-based energy is expected to retain its position as a sole fuel source for households in the rural part of Ethiopia unless alternative energy sources are introduced. Synthesizing small-scale renewable alternative energy sources, such as biogas energy, into the energy mix has become an important strategy to overcome the energy hunger of its rural residents. As part of the government policy, small-scale biogas digesters have been installed in selected districts and regions of the country since 2007. There is, however, limited evidence on whether or not the intended objectives of the domestic biogas initiative have been actualized by the participants of the project. This paper, therefore, intends to investigate the economic benefits of domestic biogas plants along with the challenges facing it and future prospects of the biogas initiative in selected districts of northern Ethiopia. Methods: Qualitative data were gathered using focus group discussion and key informant interviews. A survey of 400 households was also administered to capture cross sectional data using structured questionnaires. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. A propensity score matching model was employed to evaluate the effects of domestic biogas technology on energy expenditure, crop yield, and the substitution of chemical fertilizers. Results: The study finds that biogas adopters have reduced their monthly energy expenditure on average by 20-36%. Moreover, the existence of a positive crop yield premium of 1.5 quintal/year/household was observed as a result of using bio-slurry as a fertilizer. The key factors that limit the extension of biogas technology to potential biogas adopters are the presence of failed digesters, an inadequate plot of land for the digester construction and a water availability problem. In light of such barriers, however, the study finds that more favorable environments for the widespread use of the technology exist. Conclusions: Biogas user households have significantly reduced their energy expenditure compared to non-biogas adopters. Nevertheless, despite the modest increase in crop yield, the overall effect of bio-slurry application on crop productivity and substituting chemical fertilizers was not significant because of an improper bio-slurry utilization and management.
The consumption of fuel wood and charcoal in Ethiopia continues to increase as there is limited or no access to modern energy sources in the majority of rural areas, and most households cannot afford, even if they have access to, modern energy sources. This has resulted in environmental degradations in various forms. Harnessing biogas energy at household level can be a sustainable energy option for low income households. Based on primary data collected using a household survey and the use of propensity score matching model, this study analyses the contribution of biogas energy to reduction in firewood and charcoal consumption of households and its role in the management of cattle dung and human excreta in Ofla district, Ethiopia. The empirical findings show that the fuel wood and charcoal consumptions of biogas adopter households were on average reduced by 143.55 kg hh ¡1 month ¡1 (45% reduction) and 16 kg hh ¡1 month ¡1 (50.9% reduction) respectively compared to their non-adopter counterparts. Each biogas adopter household utilises about 2.1 kg day ¡1 , 7.2 kg day ¡1 and 20 kg day ¡1 of wet faeces, urine and cattle dung respectively via anaerobic digestion which would otherwise have been unsafely discharged into the local environment.
There is a long-standing debate on the relationship between land-related investments and tenure security and most studies in this sense fail to reach a concrete conclusion because of their focus on one side. This paper has employed a separate analysis for short-run farm investments as represented by spending on farm inputs and long-term investments as represented by hours spent on stone bund building in an attempt to solve this problem. Two Tobit models were estimated to analyze household level determinants of landrelated investment decisions by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia and its tenure security implications. The findings revealed that there is no meaningful and significant relationship between tenure security and landrelated investments decisions. Poverty status, rather, was found to exert significant negative pressure on investment decisions. Productivity, livestock holding, communal conservation around plot and participation in local government activities are found to be the major determinants of land investments.
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