The journey to clean cooking: Practical insights from case studies in Kenya and Zambia

The document argues that while affordability and aspirational appeal drive the initial purchase of advanced cookstoves, long-term adoption depends on the stove's performance and the availability of ongoing user support. Based on case studies in Kenya and Zambia, it highlights that shifting cooking habits is a complex behaviour change process requiring hands-on trials, clear manuals, and personal follow-up to prevent users from abandoning new technology in frustration.

• Adopting advanced cookstoves requires a significant shift in daily habits and cooking practices because these stoves often use different fuels, regulate temperature differently, and can alter the taste and texture of food compared to traditional biomass stoves.
• The primary motivations for purchasing an advanced stove are the potential to save money or fuel, increased convenience, and the aesthetic or aspirational appeal of owning modern technology.
• There is a disconnect between the factors that motivate the initial purchase and those that ensure long-term adoption; once a stove is in use, the decisive factor is whether the technology works as expected.
• Current sales methods often rely on quick pitches and demonstrations that do not allow users to actually cook on the stoves, leading to frustration when users discover limitations after purchase.
• To prevent the abandonment of advanced stoves, the document recommends providing hands-on trials before purchase, high-quality user manuals with pictures, and personal follow-up support through phone calls or visits from trusted sources.
• Governments can support the transition to clean cooking by providing incentives to make advanced biomass stoves and fuels like pellets affordable and available, while establishing a regulatory environment that favours clean technologies.

APA

Jürisoo, M. (2016). The journey to clean cooking: Practical insights from case studies in Kenya and Zambia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-DB-2016-Journey-clean-cooking.pdf

Chicago

Jürisoo, Marie. The journey to clean cooking: Practical insights from case studies in Kenya and Zambia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2016. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-DB-2016-Journey-clean-cooking.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jürisoo |first1=Marie |title=The journey to clean cooking: Practical insights from case studies in Kenya and Zambia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-DB-2016-Journey-clean-cooking.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jrisoo2016journey, author = {Jürisoo, Marie}, title = {{The journey to clean cooking: Practical insights from case studies in Kenya and Zambia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-DB-2016-Journey-clean-cooking.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }