sei-wp-2016-13-user-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary-fa01a96e57b72811.pdf

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute uses service design methodology to analyze the 'user journeys' of households adopting advanced cookstoves in Kenya and Zambia. The study identifies a gap between the motivations that drive the initial purchase of a stove and the factors that ensure long-term adoption and consistent use.

• The primary drivers for the initial purchase of advanced cookstoves across both study locations were the desire to save money or fuel, increased convenience (including time savings and the ability to cook indoors due to reduced smoke), and the aesthetic and aspirational appeal of modern technology.
• While financial accessibility and social networks drive purchases, long-term adoption depends on the stove's actual performance and the user's ability to operate it. Users often find stoves harder to use than expected because they are not given hands-on trials before purchase, leading to potential frustration and abandonment.
• To ensure the transition to clean cooking, the authors recommend several interventions: providing hands-on testing before purchase, creating high-quality user manuals with pictures, establishing trusting long-term relationships between sales agents and users for follow-up support, and ensuring a consistent, affordable supply of fuel pellets.
• The study emphasizes that forming new cooking habits is a long-term process. It suggests that governments should provide incentives for biomass stoves and fuels and create regulatory environments that favor clean technologies, while international donors should fund long-term monitoring and evaluation over several years.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). sei-wp-2016-13-user-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary-fa01a96e57b72811.pdf. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2016-13-User-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. sei-wp-2016-13-user-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary-fa01a96e57b72811.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2016-13-User-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=sei-wp-2016-13-user-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary-fa01a96e57b72811.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2016-13-User-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendseiwp201613userjourneytocleancookingsummaryfa01a96e57b72811pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{sei-wp-2016-13-user-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary-fa01a96e57b72811.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2016-13-User-journey-to-clean-cooking-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }