Adoption of improved biomass stoves in Kenya: a transect-based approach in Kiambu and Muranga counties

There is a wide consensus within policy, practice, and academic circles that the adoption of modern cooking options can benefit sub-Saharan Africa. Numerous studies have examined the various demographic, socioeconomic and institutional factors affecting the adoption of clean cooking options. However, most such studies did not properly consider how geographic and environmental factors and fuel availability can affect stove adoption. In this study we use a transect-based approach, from an area of high fuelwood abundance (a state forest) to an area of high fuelwood scarcity (the semi-arid interior of Muranga county) and a peri-urban area with many fuel options (the peri-urban area of Kiambu county). We survey 400 randomly selected households along the two transects from enumeration areas used in the Kenyan national census to understand how factors intersect to affect the adoption of improved biomass stoves as primary stoves. A probit analysis suggests that stove adoption depends not only on demographic and socioeconomic factors (e.g., income, education), but also on geographical and environmental factors that reflect biomass availability and accessibility, and market access. Female-headed households tend to have lower rates of improved biomass stove adoption, largely due to lower income and related enabling factors (e.g., education, land size). Through path analysis we identify that such households can improve their opportunities to adopt improved biomass stoves through better access to credit services and participation in social groups. Overall, this study suggests the need for non-uniform and spatially explicit stove promotion strategies informed by fuelwood availability and accessibility, and market access considerations. Such strategies that are conscious of local contexts could catalyze the large-scale adoption of clean cooking options in Kenya, and elsewhere on the continent.