Decision Process for Adoption of Biogas Technology for the Sustainable Development in Uttaradit Province, Thailand

The purposes of this research article aims to 1) present an appropriate form of biogas technology production from livestock manure for small scale farmers and 2) investigate farmers’ perception of biogas technology characteristics for an appropriate technology adoption decision. Data collection was done through related document, focus group discussion and case study from target farmers in Huay-bong community during July 2010 to February 2011. Content analysis was conducted in order to synthesize the context and decision on adoption process of biogas technology for the sustainable development. Findings showed that, the balloon biogas technology from livestock manure was an appropriate technology for this community. That employs a large bag made from PVC plastics to collect and siphon gas material. It was suitable for small scale farmer, relatively low labor-intensive and cheap to construct and operate. Besides, the farmers perceived that balloon biogas technology for livestock waste was superior to traditional practice in all of the aspects included in the study, i.e., relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trailability and observability.