From cleaner cookstoves to clean cooking: Thinking beyond technology to a systems approach

About 15,400 women and children die annually in Kenya due to indoor air pollution mainly from smoky kitchens. The authors highlight the importance of a holistic approach in addressing cooking energy on demand and supply and the need for active participation of both the public and private sectors.

Biomass accounts for 68% of total energy consumption in Kenya. Almost all households in rural areas depend on firewood and 82% and 34% of urban and rural households, respectively, depend on charcoal for cooking and heating purposes. Several people are engaged in production, transformation, transportation and sale of wood and charcoal, making them important sources of income in rural and urban areas. As a result, stocks of woody biomass are diminishing, exacerbated further by poor management and utilization in unsustainable ways. Use of cleaner cookstoves is one of the options to reduce wastage in fuel and emissions.

The brief identifies challenges in the implementation of clean cooking technologies, and proposes a holistic approach focused on four key elements: a value chain approach; capacity-building, including local design and manufacturing of stoves, local distribution networks, and national and regional testing centres; policy improvements, backed by adequate finance; and an effective communication strategy.

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