Env Health Perspec, Feb 2012
Who Adopts Improved Fuels and Cookstoves? A Systematic Review
Jessica J. Lewis, Subhrendu K. Pattanayak
BACKGROUND: Increasing global focus on improved cookstoves (ICS) and clean fuels arises from their potential for delivering triple dividends of (1) household health, (2) local environmental quality and (3) regional climate benefits. However, ICS and clean fuel dissemination programs have met with low rates of adoption.
OBJECTIVES: We review empirical studies on ICS and fuel choice to describe the literature, examine determinants of fuel and stove choice, and identify knowledge gaps.
METHODS: We conduct a systematic review of the literature on the adoption of ICS or cleaner fuels by households in developing countries. Results are synthesized through a simple vote-counting meta-analysis.
RESULTS: We identify 32 research studies that contain 146 separate regression analyses of ICS adoption (11 analyses) or fuel choice (135 analyses) from Asia (60%), Africa (27%), and Latin America (19%). Most studies apply multivariate regression methods to consider 7 – 13 determinants of choice. Income, education and urban location are positively associated with adoption in most (not all) studies. However, the influence of fuel availability and prices, household size and composition, and gender is unclear. Potentially important drivers such as credit, supply-chain strengthening and social marketing have been ignored.
CONCLUSIONS: Adoption studies of ICS or clean energy are scarce, scattered and of differential quality, even while global distribution programs are quickly expanding. Future research must examine an expanded set of contextual variables to improve implementation of stove programs that can realize the “win-win-win” associated with these technologies.
