Adoption and use of improved biomass stoves in Rural Mexico

article i nfo In households that rely on biomass for a large percentage of their energy needs, adoption of improved biomass stoves can result in significant reduction of indoor air pollutants and emissions of greenhouse gasses with concurrent health co-benefits. To maximize the effectiveness of the stove dissemination process, promoters should choose target populations that are both likely to adopt the new technology and to influence the opinions of other potential adopters within a social group. In the current study a longitudinal analysis of adoption patterns and intensity of use of a Patsari improved biomass cookstove was conducted in 259 randomly selected households of a community intervention study in rural communities of Michoacan, Mexico. Health promoters classified households into one of several stove user groups during a series of monthly follow up interviews after Patsari installation, based on physical traces of use and household self- reporting by questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression was used develop a model of household and community characteristics associated with early adoption of the Patsari, leading to the development of bi- level model for targeting improved stove dissemination efforts. Factors including community of residence, number of adults in household, suffering from irritated eyes, using wood scraps for fuel, and cooking with certain types of traditional fogons were associated with early adoption of Patsari cookstoves. Maximum saturation of the Patsari in the study population was reached four months after installation; after this point, stove use decreased until eight months but remained relatively steady with 55% of the sample using the Patsari regularly from month eight onwards. Results highlight the importance of utilizing effective targeting strategies to maximize NGO resources and increase the robustness of the diffusion process, resulting in more stoves in actual use. Additionally, results point to the importance of evaluating the success of an improved stove program in terms of stove use over time, rather than the total number of stoves disseminated.

[1]  D. Mavalankar,et al.  Indoor air pollution in developing countries , 1991, The Lancet.

[2]  Alladi Venkatesh,et al.  Beyond Adoption: Development and Application of a Use-Diffusion Model , 2004 .

[3]  E. Rogers.  Diffusion of preventive innovations. , 2002, Addictive behaviors.

[4]  Helga Habermehl,et al.  Economic evaluation of the improved household cooking stove dissemination programme in Uganda Dissemination of the Rocket Lorena stove in the districts of Bushenyi and Rakai and dissemination of the improved charcoal stove in Kampala in the years 2005 and 2006 , 2007 .

[5]  Rufus Edwards,et al.  In-field greenhouse gas emissions from cookstoves in rural Mexican households , 2008 .

[6]  O. Masera,et al.  Energy performance of wood-burning cookstoves in Michoacan, Mexico. , 2008 .

[7]  O. Masera,et al.  Beyond fuelwood savings: Valuing the economic benefits of introducing improved biomass cookstoves in the Purépecha region of Mexico , 2010 .

[8]  Sumi Mehta,et al.  The Burden of Disease from Indoor Air Pollution in Developing Countries: Comparison of Estimates , 2002 .

[9]  Simone Georges El Khouri Miraglia,et al.  Health effects of cookstove emissions , 2004 .

[10]  Omar Masera,et al.  From cookstoves to cooking systems: the integrated program on sustainable household energy use in Mexico , 2005 .

[11]  Daniel M. Kammen,et al.  From Linear Fuel Switching to Multiple Cooking Strategies: A Critique and Alternative to the Energy Ladder Model , 2000 .

[12]  Rufus Edwards,et al.  Impact of Patsari improved cookstoves on indoor air quality in Michoacán, Mexico , 2007 .

[13]  E. Rogers,et al.  Diffusion of innovations , 1964, Encyclopedia of Sport Management.

[14]  Omar Masera,et al.  Reduction in personal exposures to particulate matter and carbon monoxide as a result of the installation of a Patsari improved cook stove in Michoacan Mexico. , 2008, Indoor air.

[15]  I. Rosenstock,et al.  Social Learning Theory and the Health Belief Model , 1988, Health education quarterly.

[16]  N. Bruce,et al.  Indoor air pollution in developing countries: a major environmental and public health challenge. , 2000, Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

[17]  David W. Hosmer,et al.  Applied Logistic Regression , 1991 .

[18]  Kirk R. Smith,et al.  What makes people cook with improved biomass stoves. A comparative international review of Stove Programs. Energy series. World Bank technical paper , 1994 .