Improved Cookstove Programs Research Articles

A Review of Improved Cooker Stove Utilization Levels, Challenges and Benefits in Sub-Saharan Africa

Many attempts to enhance cooking stoves have been implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These programs aim to limit indoor air pollution, improve the lives of women, reduce the usage of fuel (charcoal), which reduces deforestation, alleviate the financial burden of energy costs on low-income people, and improve user health by lowering environmental toxins. Other objectives include reducing global warming and improving the social well-being of people in developing countries. The efficiency of the Improved Cookstove programs has gotten mixed evaluations. Several of the projects fell short of their planned objectives, however some did. The use, challenges, and benefits of programs to enhance cookstoves across sub-Saharan Africa are examined in this essay. It starts by looking at a few specific Cookstove technologies, which are divided into groups according on the fuels they burn and whether or not they are mobile. It has been found that factors such as the technical compatibility of the stoves with social expectations, the conformity to local needs and cultures, the attitude of the users, who are frequently reluctant to adopt new technology, and the price of the stove all affect how challenging the programs are. Also, "bottom-up" strategies ensure the program's success by involving users and regional artisans in the creation of a self-sustaining sector.

Utilizing Mixed Methods Community-Based Participatory Research to Improve Environmental Health and Quality of Life Outcomes in Rural Rwanda

Background: Health risks associated with burning biomass and stress on forests caused by firewood demand have necessitated improved cookstove programs. This study aimed to introduce and assess the functionality and impact of an intervention rocket cookstove in a rural Rwandan village.
 Method: This study used a mixed-method community-based participatory research (MMCBPR) design to introduce and test an intervention rocket cookstove. Interviews and focus groups were conducted to gather participants’ perspectives on using stoves and their perceived impact on quality of life. This study occurred over five years and culminated in three distinct phases.
 Results: Quantitative data showed that rocket stoves reduced firewood consumption by 30%–50% compared to traditional cooking methods. In addition, the qualitative data indicated widespread acceptance of the intervention concomitant with improved environmental health and quality of life outcomes. Participants reported improved health due to reduced smoke exposure, eye irritation, headaches, and an improved capacity for savings.
 Conclusion: The longitudinal nature of this study provides insight into the complexities of MMCBPR in the Global South. The findings show that small interventions, such as an improved cookstove, can improve the quality of life of individuals in marginalized communities if researchers are willing to invest the time that MMCBPR requires. Suggestions for future studies, especially for researchers seeking to expand MMCBPR beyond the boundaries of public health in North America, are discussed.

Implementation process evaluation of an improved cookstove program in rural San Luis Potosi, Mexico

The government of San Luis Potosí (SLP) in Mexico implemented the Ecological Cookstove Program (ECSP) during the period 2010–15, subsidizing over 60,000 improved cookstoves with the goal of addressing poverty in rural communities where people cook with fuelwood in open fires. As part of the comprehensive summative program evaluation conducted during 2014–2016, we assessed the implementation processes analyzing the regulations governing the program and contrasting them with the opinion of the officials and users involved in the program.The evaluation of the operation processes of the program was conducted using three qualitative techniques: documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, and in depth interviews of stakeholders (government officials and beneficiaries).The processes of social marketing, selection of beneficiaries and follow up were identified as the critical nodes for the successful implementation of the program. There was no document detailing the overall process and this was reflected in a lack of standardization in the execution of each step of the process.This type of programs should go beyond a change in technology, i.e., they need to consider the state's social, cultural, and economic factors, and their difference among the different regions of the state. In summary, the evaluation presents eight recommended actions which should be considered during the design and implementation phases of these type of programs.

The respiratory health of rural women after the implementation of an improved cookstove program in San Luis Potosí, Mexico

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Improved cookstove (ICS) programs are an intervention strategy to reduce the burden of disease attributable to household air pollution (HAP). The aim of this study is to report and compare the respiratory health outcomes for treated and non-treated women of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. METHODS: As part of a comprehensive ICS program evaluation. a health impact assessment was conducted as a panel study comparing treated and non-treated women selected from the list of program beneficiaries. The information was collected during two rounds in 2015-16 in three regions of the state of San Luis Potosí. The outcome variables were obtained through health questionnaires and spirometry tests. The average treatment effect was estimated using the double difference method combined with propensity score matching. RESULTS:A total of 716 women were evaluated (370 non-treated and 346 treated). The study groups presented significant differences in demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. On average the program showed a significant increase in FEV1 (6%, p=0.045) but did not show significant reductions in respiratory and non-respiratory symptoms. The regional impact was heterogeneous with a significant increase in the lung function parameters (FEV1 and FVC), and a significant reduction (49%, CI 95%:26-91%) in the prevalence of headache in treated women from the Huasteca compared to the Altiplano-Centro region. CONCLUSIONS:The state ICS program showed a significant impact on women’s lung function, and a reduction in the prevalence of some non-respiratory symptoms. The results were heterogeneous between the regions of the state and lost validity because of non-comparable groups. KEYWORDS: Air pollution, Particulate matter, Respiratory outcomes

A glimpse into real-world kitchens: Improving our understanding of cookstove usage through in-field photo-observations and improved cooking event detection (CookED) analytics

The combustion of solid fuels in residential cookstoves is a global health and climate issue, and expanded use of improved cookstoves could have significant benefits locally and globally. Evaluating impacts of improved cookstove programs requires more accurately measuring stove use patterns. This work builds on and improves existing stove use monitoring methods. First, we introduce and describe a novel, in-field photo-observation sampling method designed to capture near-continuous, real-world, ground-truth stove usage information. These measurements are used to validate predictions made by electronic stove use monitors (SUMs). Second, we present Cooking Event Detector (CookED), a SUM algorithm that translates stove-temperature measurements into classifications of cooking or not-cooking. The predictive performance of the new algorithm is evaluated using results from the photo-observations and compared to existing algorithms. CookED demonstrates considerable improvement over some methods for all five types of improved and traditional stoves monitored in the study. Overall minute-level predictive accuracy of CookED ranges from 95.6% to 98.4%, depending on the stove type, while Matthews correlation coefficients range from 72.8% to 88.3%. Comparisons between predicted and observed average cooking event durations show high correlation (Pearson's r = 0.85). These methods can be applied in a wide variety of applications, including research studies linking behavior, technology, exposure, and human and environmental health, as well as operational programs that aim to scale up improved cookstove adoption and quantify benefits.

Women exposure to household air pollution after an improved cookstove program in rural San Luis Potosi, Mexico

The state government of San Luis Potosí (SLP), Mexico implemented an improved cookstove (ICS) program in rural areas. As part of the comprehensive program evaluation, we compared fine particulate material (PM2.5) concentrations in kitchens and patios in treated (TH), and non-treated households (NTH), and analyzed pollutant levels according to patterns of fuels and devices use reported by the women.A panel study was conducted in 728 households (357 TH and 371 NTH) in three regions of SLP including two sampling rounds in 2015–16. Data on exposure determinants, ICS conditions and cooking practices were collected. Daily PM2.5 in kitchen and patio was measured in a subsample. The average treatment effect was estimated using the double difference method. We constructed a mixed linear model to estimate PM2.5 levels for the entire study sample and obtained personal exposure according to time-activity logs.NTH had lower socioeconomic status compared to TH. The average daily PM2.5 concentrations in NTH compared to TH were 155.2 and 92.6 μg/m3 for kitchen and 35.4 and 39.8 μg/m3 for patio, respectively. PM2.5 levels showed significant regional differences but no significant treatment effect. In many cases, the ICS was added to previous open fire and LPG use (stacking). The household size, kitchen ventilation, relative humidity, temperature and the ratio of indoor/outdoor PM2.5 concentration were significant predictors of kitchen PM2.5 levels. The daily PM2.5 personal exposure was significantly reduced using ICS in good conditions or LPG (57 μg/m3) compared to the traditional open fire (86 μg/m3).This study strengthens the evidence on the potential daily PM2.5 exposure reduction for women using an ICS in good conditions or LPG, displacing the polluting open fire. Comprehensive strategies tailored to the sociocultural context of the communities are needed to implement clean energy programs that achieve adoption and sustained use of ICS or LPG.

Early Adoption of an Improved Household Energy System in Urban Rwanda.

Cooking with solid fuels and inefficient cookstoves has adverse consequences for health, environment, and human well-being. Despite the promise of improved cookstoves to reduce these impacts, adoption rates are relatively low. Using a 2-wave sample of 144 households from the baseline and first midline of an ongoing 4-year randomized controlled trial in Rwanda, we analyze the drivers and associations of early adoption of a household energy intervention marketed by a private sector firm. Households sign an annual contract to purchase sustainably produced biomass pellets and lease a fan micro-gasification cookstove with verified emissions reductions in laboratory settings. Using difference-in-differences and fixed effects estimation techniques, we examine the association between take-up of the improved cooking system and household fuel expenditures, health outcomes, and time use for primary cooks. Thirty percent of households adopted the pellet and improved cookstove system. Adopting households had more assets, lower per capita total expenditures and cooking fuel expenditures, and higher per capita hygiene expenditures. Households with married household heads and female cooks were significantly more likely to adopt. Adjusting for confounders, we find significant reduction in primary cooks' systolic blood pressure, self-reported prevalence of shortness of breath, an indicator of respiratory illness, time spent cooking, and household expenditures on charcoal. Our findings have implications for marketing of future clean fuel and improved cookstove programs in urban settings or where stoves and fuel are purchased. Analysis of follow-up surveys will allow for estimation of long-term impacts of adoption of interventions involving pellets and fan micro-gasification cookstoves.

Barriers and facilitators to adoption and use of fuel pellets and improved cookstoves in urban Rwanda.

BackgroundThe environmental and health impacts of reliance on solid fuels and traditional cookstoves in low-income countries have motivated the promotion of household cooking energy systems that use cleaner burning fuels and cookstoves that lead to reduced exposure to harmful pollutants. Little is known about adoption and use of such systems from the users’ perspective.MethodsWe explored the facilitators and barriers to adoption and use of a private sector marketed household cooking energy system that uses sustainably produced biomass pellets and the cleanest burning fan micro-gasification stove currently available. We conducted 48 in-depth qualitative interviews in Gisenyi, Rwanda with decision-makers and cooks in 16 households that adopted the improved cookstove system and 8 non-adopter households.ResultsReported facilitators and barriers to adoption and non-adoption, as well as use and non-use were complex, and in some cases, contradictory. Some adopters noted that cleanliness and low smoke production were major facilitators to adoption and use, while other adopters and non-adopters said the cookstoves blackened and damaged cooking pots and produced excessive smoke. Our findings suggest that correct use of the stove mediates user experience. Cost was likewise reported as a facilitator among some adopters and a barrier among other adopters and non-adopters. Peer influence played a significant role as both a barrier and a facilitator to adoption and transcended other factors. Positive peer influence describing the cleanliness, affordability, and efficiency of the cookstove system encouraged adoption and use, while negative comments by peers regarding excessive smoke and damaged cooking pots discouraged adoption. Commentaries by some participants suggest that inadequate training and instruction may be primary causes of the discrepancies.ConclusionCost, cleanliness, communication among peer networks, and adequate training and instruction are important factors associated with the adoption and use of improved cookstoves and should be prioritized in the implementation of improved cookstove programs.

Smallholder Farmers’ Willingness to Pay for Improved Cookstoves in Dedza, Malawi

As improved cookstove programs increase in popularity, policy makers need accurate estimates of their constituents’ willingness to pay for the stoves. Knowing which socioeconomic factors affect willingness to pay will allow program planners to price and target the stoves effectively. This study elicits the willingness to pay of 300 rural Malawians in Dedza District for two types of stove and explores the determinant socioeconomic factors. Respondents were willing to pay a median price of 7 USD for a clay stove and 9 USD for a rocket stove. In the clay stove regression model, willingness to pay is positively correlated with dietary diversity and negatively correlated with fuel expenditure. In the rocket stove regression model, willingness to pay is positively correlated with net household income and dietary diversity, and negatively correlated with higher incidence of cooking-related ailments. A literature review reveals that because of the discrepancy between short-term and long-term impacts of improved cookstove adoption, the focus of stove programs should be sustained, proper stove use by adopters, not just dissemination. Positive impact estimates are inflated when only short-term adoption data and laboratory fuel test results are used; more long-term impact evaluations are needed. Further, the study of socioeconomic determinants of stove adoption alone is inadequate for a self-sustaining, unsubsidized improved cookstove market. Choice elicitation experiment studies on product-specific attributes, that is stove characteristics, should complement socioeconomic findings to determine what is most desired by the target market.

A review of improved Cookstove technologies and programs

Abstract Many Cookstove programs have been implemented in many countries around the world. The objectives of these programs have been to reduce fuel use and hence reduce deforestation, and improve the health conditions of users by reducing environmental emissions. Other objectives include improving the social life of people in developing countries and reducing global climate change. The success of improved Cookstove programs has been reported as mixed. While some of the programs have achieved their target objectives, many of them have failed. This paper reviews the literature of improved Cookstove programs around the world. It starts with a review of some selected Cookstove technologies, classified by the types of fuel they burn and whether they are fixed or portable. This is followed by a review of different Cookstove programs, with the objective of finding the factors that determine their success, the form they should take, and the role played by the stakeholders. It is found that the success of the programs depends on the factors such as: compatibility of technical parameters of stoves with social expectations, consistency with local needs and culture, attitude of the users who are often afraid adopting new technology, and the stove cost. Also programs that use a “bottom-up” strategy, where users and local artisans play participatory roles in establishing a self-sustaining industry ensure success of the program.

Climate change and global energy security: technology and policy options

Tackling climate change and improving energy security are two of the twenty-first century’s greatest challenges. In this book, Marilyn Brown and Benjamin Sovacool offer detailed assessments of the most advanced commercially available technologies for strengthening global energy security, mitigating the effects of climate change, and enhancing resilience through adaptation and geo-engineering. They also evaluate the barriers to the deployment of these technologies and critically review public policy options crucial to their adoption. Arguing that society has all the technologies necessary for the task, Brown and Sovacool discuss an array of options available today, including high-efficiency transportation, renewable energy, carbon sequestration, and demand-side management. They offer eight case studies from around the world that document successful approaches to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and improving energy security. These include the Danish approach to energy policy and wind power, Brazil’s ethanol program, China’s improved cookstove program; and the U.S. Toxics Release Inventory. Brown and Sovacool argue that meeting the twin challenges of climate change and energy security will allow us to provide energy, maintain economic growth, and preserve the natural environment—without forcing tradeoffs among them.

Understanding an improved cookstove program in rural Mexico: An analysis from the implementers' perspective

The adoption of innovations in rural areas depends, among many different factors, on the way development workers approach a community. Through a qualitative research methodology this study documented the adoption of a new technology, by following an improved cookstove implementation program carried out by a Mexican NGO. This technology reduces fuel consumption and addresses health impacts of indoor air pollution caused by the widespread use of traditional biomass fuels in open fires in developing countries. Different demographic and socio-economic factors have been analyzed to explain the low success rates implementation projects have faced worldwide, but there are almost no studies that examine the problem from the perspective of implementers. The aim of this study was to understand how the different visions of the individuals involved in an implementation program affect its outcome. Findings showed that the NGO work was constrained by the need to meet the commitment with sponsors. The adoption rates did not change between the first and the second stage of the project, even though the approach towards users was very different. A lack of a shared vision among the work team towards the project was found and the existence of two main perspectives among program workers—broadly described as people-centered and technology-centered—, gave place to differences in attitudes towards the program.

From cookstoves to cooking systems: the integrated program on sustainable household energy use in Mexico

Interest in household energy use and improved cookstoves is growing again, prompted this time by a breadth of concerns that range from local environmental, socio-cultural and, very particularly, health issues to global aspects related to the emissions of greenhouse gases. To face these challenges, improved cookstove programs are evolving from projects narrowly targeting stove construction or sales to more integrated “systemic” approaches. This paper discusses one such approach: a multi-institutional effort directed to improve the sustainability of household energy use in rural Mexico. The program is based in the highlands of central Mexico, and seeks to set up a model that can be scaled up and replicated in other regions. The program has five main components that are highly integrated: technology innovation and market development, a cookstove dissemination package, support to micro-enterprise development, monitoring and evaluation and outreach activities. One of the program's salient features is the development and dissemination of a new efficient wood-burning cookstove named “Patsari”. Results of the first year and a half of project implementation and the main challenges and lessons learned by the program are presented and discussed.

Some simple economics of improved cookstove programs in developing countries

More efficient cookstoves have been introduced in developing countries by development agencies to retard deforestation and to improve the welfare of low-income consumers. To date, studies of the economics of cookstove programs have been limited to financial analyses of stove costs and an input-output study of a single country. This paper examines the consequences of the implicit income effect of a 25% to 50% improvement in fuel efficiency of household cookstoves. A model is constructed to examine the spending pattern of resources saved from reduced fuel expenditures and the consequences of fuel price reductions caused by reductions in aggregate demand. It is found that, with parameter values typical of low-income developing countries, roughly 50% of technical fuel savings from stove efficiency improvements are lost through increased fuel use induced by income and price effects. Even when the income elasticity of demand for the fuel is zero and own-price elasticity is one-half, with a unitary supply elasticity, 28% of the initial technical savings will be lost through increased consumption.