sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change-84cf1fbaafd9ddd9.pdf

This policy brief, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute, examines the barriers to the growth of the clean cooking market in India. Based on a 2011-2012 socio-economic study in Haryana and atmospheric research in New Delhi, the document argues that the traditional biomass-burning 'chulha' remains dominant due to a lack of user-centric design in improved stoves and systemic failures in finance, distribution, and sector-wide knowledge. It recommends shifting focus from consumer subsidies toward supporting producers and integrating clean cooking as a cross-government priority.

• Biomass burning is a significant contributor to the 'atmospheric brown cloud' over South Asia, with research in the Delhi metropolitan area indicating that approximately 50% of black carbon (soot) originates from small-scale biomass-burning sources.
• The traditional 'chulha' stove is the primary cooking tool for approximately 160 million Indian households. These stoves are typically home-made from local clay, allowing users to adapt them to specific needs, though they are inefficient and produce significant smoke and soot.
• The market for cleaner cooking technologies in India is very small due to several systemic obstacles: a lack of legitimacy for improved stoves among users and government agencies, failure to design stoves based on user preferences, poor access to finance and distribution for producers, and widespread knowledge gaps.
• Evidence suggests that price is not necessarily the primary barrier to the adoption of improved stoves. Some households indicated a willingness to pay for stoves that better meet their needs, and there is a risk that free or heavily subsidized stoves may be perceived as 'charity goods' or 'worthless'.
• The clean cooking sector is dominated by small-scale, independent producers, while larger companies have mostly exited. Government involvement is largely limited to the National Biomass Cookstove Initiative (NBCI) under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, which focuses on testing, certification, and R&D.
• Producers face significant financial and logistical hurdles, as commercial lenders are reluctant to invest in the sector. Distribution is often limited to the entrepreneurs' own small networks, despite the existence of larger rural networks within government departments like the Ministry of Rural Development.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change-84cf1fbaafd9ddd9.pdf. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change-84cf1fbaafd9ddd9.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change-84cf1fbaafd9ddd9.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendseipolicybrief2013sparkingchange84cf1fbaafd9ddd9pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change-84cf1fbaafd9ddd9.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-policybrief-2013-sparking-change.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }