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Abstract:
Energy is a key factor for the growth and development of a country. Almost all the energy used by the households resulted in forest depletion thus creating serious loss of biodiversity, land degradation and loss of soil fertility. This study was conducted with the objective of determining the possibility of biogas production from cow dung as an alternative source of energy for domestic cooking. A total of fifty-one questionnaire was administered on the household heads of Iyana Emirin community in Ado Ekiti. The questionnaire survey of the cow dung site was done to obtain information on the number of cattle, energy consumption that is times of cooking per day, availability of cooking material, effect of cooking material on their monthly income, knowledge about biogas production. Laboratory and field experiment were done on biogas from cow dung to determine the possibilities of its production and utilization as an alternative energy for domestic cooking for the people at Iyana Emirin in Ado-Ekiti. A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted to bring the people into awareness of the utilization of cow dung as a potent biogas element. The result showed that 86.3% of the people considered biogas as an alternative energy source for domestic cooking, 90.2% supports production of biogas and 49.0% desire to invest in biogas production, also, 41.2% of the people use firewood as an alternative means of cooking. This shows biogas has significant contribution by providing multiple benefits particularly to the people in the study area. It serves as an alternative source of energy, so also using biogas reduces the rate of deforestation by saving firewood, trees and forest, more also, it is waste management, reduction and conversion of waste to wealth or poverty alleviation and a employment opportunity if biogas is commercialized. The study therefore recommended biogas production from cow dung as a domestic cooking resource. It also solicited for the awareness of the public through private agencies so that the mass production of the product could be realized. The study also advocated that government at the local level should invest in the product.
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