Toward the diffusion of rural energy technologies: Some lessons from the Indian biogas program

Abstract India has committed substantial resources to construct several hundred thousand biogas plants. This program is reviewed within the context of the current status of biogas systems including technical, economic, manpower and training, and organizational issues. Experience with a dozen “village-scale” systems is analyzed in detail. Problems with the Indian biogas program show the importance of basing technology diffusion efforts on an intimate understanding of rural resource flows and the local political economy. The biogas experience illustrates a broader problem in development: an imbalance between “technology-focused” and “people-focused” development assistance. Some of the causes and implications of this imbalance are discussed and some suggestions are offered to help both developing countries and various donors increase the effectiveness of development efforts by stimulating the growth of local organizations.