THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE ADOPTION OF BIOGAS TECHNOLOGY IN POULTRY INDUSTRY IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT The study investigated the factors affecting the adoption of the biogas technology in poultry farms in southwestern Nigeria. The study was carried out using both primary and secondary data sources. The primary data were obtained through the use of questionnaire, personal observations and interview sessions. A set of questionnaire was administered on one hundred and eighty poultry farmers in all the Southwestern States of Nigeria (Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo) using snowball sampling technique. The questionnaire was administered on poultry farmers having more than 500 birds, to elicit information based on the set objectives of the study. The secondary data were sourced from the agricultural journals, engineering journals, published and unpublished research works and international reports from bodies such as United Nations Development Project (UNDP).Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that bag digesters (1.71%) were the predominant type of biodigester adopted on the farms. The major factors influencing the adoption of biogas technology in the study area were educational qualification of the respondents (β = -.612, p<0.05), their specific field of study (β = .192, p<0.05) and the capital cost/initial investment in the biogas technology (β = 2.819, p < 0.05). The study further showed that reducing the cost of maintaining environmental pollution (3.43%) was a major reason for the adoption of biodigesters on the farms.