The journey to clean cooking: Insights from Kenya and Zambia

The research examines why households in Kenya and Zambia purchase advanced cookstoves and the factors that determine whether they consistently adopt them. While financial accessibility, fuel savings, and aspirational appeal drive initial purchases, long-term adoption depends on the stove's actual performance and the availability of technical support during the learning phase.

• The primary motivations for purchasing advanced cookstoves across both study locations were the prospect of saving money and fuel, increased convenience (such as reduced smoke for indoor use), and the aesthetic or aspirational appeal of owning modern technology.
• Access to finance is a critical prerequisite for the initial acquisition of advanced stoves; wholesalers in Kenya and Zambia acted as financial enablers by offering installment plans to make the technology affordable.
• Social influence and peer effects significantly impact purchasing decisions, with many users buying stoves after seeing demonstrations within existing social networks like women's groups, workplaces, or church groups.
• There is a disconnect between the motivations for purchase and the drivers of actual adoption; once a user begins using the stove, the decisive factor is whether the technology works as expected rather than the initial sales pitch.
• Users frequently experience a 'low point' during the start-up phase due to insufficient technical information and negative surprises, such as difficulty refueling without smoke or challenges in measuring fuel per meal.
• Long-term adoption is hindered by the lack of comprehensive, easy-to-read user manuals and the absence of a trusting, personal after-sales support system to help users overcome initial frustrations.
• In Lusaka, Zambia, external environmental factors such as scheduled power outages (load shedding) and fluctuating charcoal prices acted as significant triggers for households to seek and adopt alternative cooking technologies.
• The availability and format of fuel can determine whether a new cooking habit is sustained; in Lusaka, the requirement to buy pellets in large bags (up to 16 kg) was a barrier compared to the flexible sizing of charcoal.

APA

Jürisoo, M., & Lambe, F. (2016). The journey to clean cooking: Insights from Kenya and Zambia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2016-13-User-journey-to-clean-cooking.pdf

Chicago

Jürisoo, Marie, and Fiona Lambe. The journey to clean cooking: Insights from Kenya and Zambia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2016. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2016-13-User-journey-to-clean-cooking.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jürisoo |first1=Marie |last2=Lambe |first2=Fiona |title=The journey to clean cooking: Insights from Kenya and Zambia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=December 2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2016-13-User-journey-to-clean-cooking.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jrisoo2016journey, author = {Jürisoo, Marie and Lambe, Fiona}, title = {{The journey to clean cooking: Insights from Kenya and Zambia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2016-13-User-journey-to-clean-cooking.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }