Ingredients for Sustainable

Cookstove InterventionsLessons Learned from the Indian National Programme

for Improved Cookstoves (NPIC)

In India 166 million households depend on

biomass such as wood, crop residues and dung as

their main source of cooking energy (Census of

India 2011). More than 90% of these households

use traditional cookstoves such as three-stone

ires or simple clay-stoves for their daily cooking

(IIPS 2007; Venkataraman 2010). hese stoves

combust biomass ineiciently, causing hazardous

levels of indoor air pollution (IAP), excessive

consumption of biomass, and high emissions of

greenhouse gases (GHG). Besides contributing

to the rapid depletion of biomass resources and

having negative efects on the world’s climate,

traditional cookstoves are responsible for the

majority of around 480,000 Indians dying

prematurely of IAP each year (WHO 2009).

Given the slow decline in the proportion of

Indians using biomass as cooking fuel (about 0.7%

per year) and the high population growth in the

country (about 1.5% a year), the absolute number

of biomass users is even set to increase in the future

(IEA, TERI 2010b; Venkataraman 2010).

here is clearly great need for cleaner biomass

stove technologies. Improved cookstoves (ICS)

Background

consume less biomass and reduce indoor air

pollution signiicantly. However, the adoption of

this technology has so far been low in India.

he National Programme on Improved

Cookstoves (NPIC) was implemented by the

Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

(MNRE) between 1983 and 2002 to bring

improved biomass cookstoves to the kitchens of

Indian households. On the one hand it succeeded

in “initially distributing tens of millions of stoves

and so achieved a scale well beyond the nascent

commercial [cookstove] operations” (Shrimali

2011) that are currently underway. On the other

hand, the programme had limited long-term

impact. While, in 2006, 5% of Indian households

possessed an improved biomass cookstove (Bar-

nes 2012); in 2013 only around 0.3% of the Ind-

ian population is using such a stove (GACC

2013). he lessons that can be learned from

the successes achieved and challenges faced by

the NPIC remain of great importance today.

his paper aims to analyse the past experiences

of the NPIC so as to support the design of new

cookstove interventions.

1

Smoke produced while cooking emerges from a hut in Laxmikantapur, West Bengal

Imprint:

Published byDeutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Indo-German Energy Programme – Renewable Energy Component (IGEN-RE)

First Floor, B-5/2 Safdarjung Enclave New Delhi 110 029, IndiaT: +91 11 49495353 F: +91 11 49495391 I: www.igen-re.in; www.giz.de

ResponsibleMr Michael Blunck, Project Manager, Indo-German Energy Programme – Renewable Energy (IGEN-RE), GIZ

EditorialChristian Liedtke, Technical Expert, IGEN-RE, GIZ

Photos byEnrico Fabian

Design and PrintingInfonautswww.infonauts.in

New Delhi, November, 2013

he impact of the NPIC varied considerably in

the diferent states because of variations in ap-

proach among the respective SNAs of MNRE.

hese mixed results, as well as the plurality of ap-

proach, give us the opportunity to identify factors

for the successes and shortcomings of the NPIC.

he lessons we can learn from this are important

in improving present and future interventions in

the ield. An extensive review and analysis of exist-

ing literature on the NPIC revealed the following

ive principal lessons:

1. Considering local user needs and feedback

is crucial for ensuring long-term adoption of

improved stoves

he NPIC followed a strict top-down approach

that did not suiciently consider user feedback

in the stove selection process. his often resulted

in the dissemination of stoves that did not meet

user needs. Since these ICS were diicult to use

and maintain, users often altered stove designs

after installation, which resulted in poor stove

performance (Winrock 2004; Shrimali 2011).

Moreover, cookstove producers received most of

their payments directly from central government

subsidies. hey were therefore more responsive to

stove speciications prescribed by the government

than to the needs of the users (Lambe 2012;

The National Programme for Improved Cookstoves (NPIC)

he NPIC was launched in 1983 by the Depar-

tment of Non-Conventional Energy Sources

(DNES), which later became the Ministry of

New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). he pro-

gramme’s main aim was to reduce wood fuel con-

sumption and alleviate deforestation. he NPIC

disseminated two types of ICS: ixed mud or

cement cookstoves with chimneys, and portable

metal cookstoves without chimneys. All stove

models had to meet certain minimum standards

such as having a thermal eiciency of more than

20% for ixed stoves and 25% for portable stoves.

his was ensured through the certiication of

stoves by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Relecting India’s diverse cooking habits, fuel use

patterns, socio-economic conditions and availa-

bility of construction materials, more than 80

models of ICS have been certiied (Venkataraman

2010; TERI 2010; IIT & TERI 2010; Volkmer

2012; Dutta 2012).

he NPIC was implemented through MNRE’s

State Nodal Agencies (SNAs) and with the help of

non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in almost

all Indian States and Union Territories. Addition-

ally, 22 Technical Back-up Support Units (TBUs)

were set up to provide technical assistance in de-

signing stoves and providing training to NGOs,

governmental institutions and craftsmen. he im-

proved cookstoves were disseminated through the

SNAs’ district and block-level cells. At the village

level, NGOs and self-employed workers (SEW)

served as implementers. he inancing structure

of the NPIC was based on subsidy schemes that

either directly contributed to reducing the cost of

the stove for the end user, or covered the costs

for training and awareness raising activities. he

cost of the ICS varied from INR 100 to INR 300;

50–75% of this cost was met by a direct cash

subsidy (Barnes 2012; IIT & TERI 2010; TERI

2010; Volkmer 2012; Dutta 2012). he dissemi-

nation of stoves was mainly target-driven with an-

nual targets set for the number of cookstoves to be

deployed – around two million each year – at the

national level.

he NPIC was discontinued at the national level

in 2002. It was then decentralised, transferring

the full implementation authority and funding

responsibility to the states. In the 19 years of

NPIC implementation around 35 million ICS

had been deployed. However, the NPIC did not

lead to signiicant long-term adoption of ICS in

India, though its performance varied signiicantly

from one part of the country to another (TERI

2010; Dutta 2012; IIT & TERI 2010).

2 3

Women maintaining a traditional cookstove in Ramjibanpur, West Bengal

Diferent fuels – dung, twigs, wood chips – used for cooking in Bumkaha, Uttar Pradesh

Barnes 2012; Shrimali 2011). Additionally, the

NPIC was driven by pre-set annual targets for

the number of stoves to be disseminated. hese

targets were largely disconnected from actual re-

quirements and local demand (Winrock 2004).

Unlike other states, Andhra Pradesh focused on

actively incorporating user preferences. Its TBU

ensured that user feedback was incorporated into

modiications in stove design. his led to higher cus-

tomer satisfaction and adoption rates (Barnes 2012).

2. A market-based approach with an appro-

priate user contribution ensures consumer

orientation and long-term stove adoption

he NPIC was based on a government-driven

subsidy scheme with partly unfavourable incen-

tive mechanisms. Under the NPIC, distributors

and constructors received a one-of payment after

stove construction, and the government covered

the larger part of the costs. he users made only

a small monetary contribution and no other re-

muneration was provided for delivering necessary

services such as user training, maintenance and

repair/replacement. Most self-employed work-

ers therefore had no interest in providing these

services, and long-term use of the new stoves

remained low (Venkataraman 2010; Winrock

2004; Barnes 2012; IIT & TERI 2010).

Lessons learned from the NPIC

4

nical Backup Unit (TBU). he audio-visual cam-

paign materials were produced in local languages

and signiicantly increased the adoption of ICS

(Winrock 2004).

4. Involving local grassroots organisa-

tions is crucial to successful project

implmentation

Under the NPIC, West Bengal was quite success-

ful in disseminating stoves due to its cooperation

with local NGOs that had strong roots in local

villages (Barnes 2012). hese NGOs were crucial

for the success of interventions that directly tar-

geted local communities as they had the necessary

trust, network and outreach among local villages.

he NGOs in West Bengal trained people and

local artisans, distributed stoves, provided after-

sale service and raised awareness in a very efective

manner (Barnes 2012).

5. Effective monitoring and evaluation sys-

tems are a prerequisite for sustainable pro-

ject implementation

he NPIC was driven by pre-set targets for the

number of stoves to be disseminated, and so was

the NPIC’s deinition of success and impact. he

impacts of the programme were measured in

terms of disseminated stoves; success was under-

stood as meeting the distribution targets, while

other indicators – e.g. whether stoves were used,

whether they achieved the desired improvements

/ IAP reduction in the ield, whether users were

satisied – were not considered (Winrock 2004).

here was no efective system in place to moni-

tor stove quality, after-sale services, utilisation

and correct maintenance (Barnes 2012; IIT &

TERI 2010; Winrock 2004). As a result, stoves

disseminated under the NPIC were of low dura-

bility and often failed to perform better than their

traditional counterparts (Barnes 2012; IIT &

TERI 2010; Lambe 2012; Shrimali 2011). Fur-

thermore, stoves installed by local artisans often

signiicantly deviated from the default design (IIT

& TERI 2010; Lambe 2012). his led to high lev-

els of user dissatisfaction and low adoption rates

(Lambe 2012; Volkmer 2012).

An efective monitoring and evaluation system

could have resolved these problems. An objective

evaluation of the programme’s results and pro-

gress allows corrections in approach to be initi-

ated where necessary.

5

A woman using an improved ixed cookstove in the village Bumkaha, Uttar Pradesh

A women using an improved ixed cookstove in Ramjibanpur, West Bengal

Additionally, extensive subsidies inhibited the de-

velopment of self-sustaining local markets (Barnes

2012). After the discontinuation of the NPIC,

cookstove companies reported that the expecta-

tion to receive stoves nearly free of charge persisted

among potential customers (Shrimali 2011) and

made it virtually impossible to sell stoves at the reg-

ular price. Furthermore, very low stove prices mo-

tivated households to purchase these in order to use

the chimneys and metal sheets as pipes and con-

struction material (Dutta 2012; Volkmer 2012).

In areas where people traditionally paid for their

stoves and/or where biomass fuels were scarce, the

NPIC adopted a more market-based approach.

Wherever that was the case, the NPIC’s impact

was more sustainable (Barnes 2012). In Maha-

rashtra for example, local people were trained by

the TBU to become village level entrepreneurs

(VLE). hey succeeded in earning reasonable

proits by selling ICSs – although still subsidised

– on the existing cookstove market (Winrock

2004). Also, in Haryana VLEs cooperated with

local organisations such as Mahila Mandals. In

these cases stove dissemination proved more suc-

cessful and sustainable as entrepreneurs received

their income directly from their customers. Con-

sumer satisfaction was thus vital for sustaining the

entrepreneurs’ businesses and this approach cre-

ated incentives to provide after-sale services and

strive for good customer relations.

3. Raising awareness to stimilute demand

is crucial

In the majority of NPIC eforts, efective aware-

ness raising campaigns about the health beneits

of improved cookstoves and hazards of indoor air

pollution (IAP) had not been conducted. he de-

mand for ICS and actual adoption rates therefore

remained relatively low (Winrock 2004; Dutta

2012). Despite the lack of suitable campaigns it

was found that nearly all users appreciated the

beneits of reduced smoke in the kitchen, though

there was little awareness about the adverse health

impacts of IAP (Winrock 2004).

During NPIC implementation only Andhra Pr-

adesh successfully implemented awareness raising

and marketing campaigns developed by the Tech-

6 7

In cooperation with MNRE, the Renewable Energy Component of the Indo-German Energy Pro-

gramme (IGEN-RE) is working towards creating markets for improved biomass cookstoves. IGEN-RE

is a bilateral technical cooperation measure between the German Federal Ministry for Economic

Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and MNRE. he programme is implemented by the Deutsche

Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of BMZ.

By carrying out the following activities, IGEN-RE is creating a conducive market environment for ICS

as well as directly addressing existing challenges on both the supply and demand side to ensure access to

sustainable cooking energy in rural areas:

Ensuring the supply of appropriate stove technologies: Facilitating stove selection and design by

analysing user preferences and stove acceptance; developing an innovative distribution/business model;

providing detailed market information

Improving the market environment: Supporting the design and implementation of policies and sup-

port schemes; mobilising carbon inance; facilitating the sharing of knowledge

Increasing consumer demand: Developing cost-efective marketing and awareness campaigns; estab-

lishing models for end-user inance

For more information please visit: http://www.igen-re.in

Creating markets for improved biomass cookstoves: activities under the Indo-German Energy Programme

In 2009, the National Biomass Cookstoves Initia-

tive (NBCI) was launched by MNRE to extend

the use of clean energy in cooking to all of In-

dia’s households through the development of “the

next generation of household cookstoves, biomass

processing technologies and deployment models”

(Venkataraman 2010). he programme targets

households relying on traditional biomass stoves.

Its primary focus lies on delivering health ben-

eits through clean biomass combustion (MNRE

2013; Venkataraman 2010). he programme ac-

tively incorporates some of the lessons learned

from the NPIC, such as the following:

1 To ensure stove eiciency and user satisfac-

tion, the new initiative focuses on the provi-

sion of certiied and pre-manufactured ICS to

ensure quality standards, durability and de-

sired improvements. his approach restricts

the likelihood of alterations being made to

the stove designs by users and local artisans.

2 To efectively monitor the implementation

of the project and evaluate realities on the

ground, a third-party monitoring system

will be adopted for “ield performance eval-

uation” (MNRE 2013), which will include

the review of operation and maintenance

services provided, the measurement of emis-

sion levels from improved cookstoves in the

ield, and the collection of user feedback

(Venkataraman 2010).

User opinions and feedback must be the central

concern of any intervention in the ield of clean

cooking. he feedback of the user reveals his/her

preferences and must be incorporated into the

stove and programme design. Efective moni-

toring systems can be a means of collecting user

feedback on a regular basis and ensuring the ap-

propriateness of programme approaches.

he Indo-German Energy Programme aims to make

the cookstove user and his/her concerns the basis for

its various activities towards the creation of markets

for improved cookstoves (see text box to the right).

It is essential to avoid technology-driven program-

mes that focus more on the technical perfor-

mance of the stoves – e.g. emission levels, fuel

consumption – than on whether the promoted

technologies meet the needs and preferences of

the housewife in the kitchen. he stove user must

be at the heart of all our work in this ield.

The way ahead

A kitchen equipped with a traditional (left), improved ixed (middle) and improved portable (right) cookstoves in Bumkaha, Uttar Pradesh

A pot covered with clay on an improved ixed cookstove in Bumkaha, Uttar Pradesh

Barnes, Douglas F. et al. (2012), ‘Cleaner Hearths, Better Homes: New Stoves for India and the Developing

World’, Oxford University Press: Delhi.

Census of India 2011 (2011), ‘Houses, Household Amenities and Assets’, Government of India. Online Source:

http://www.devinfolive.info/censusinfodashboard/website/index.php/pages/kitchen

_fuelused/Total/insidehouse/IND (accessed 05.09.2013).

Dutta, Karabi (2012), ‘he Indian Cookstove Sector: Current State and Future Opportunities’, produced for the

Indo-German Energy Programme – Renewable Energy (IGEN-RE), GIZ India: Delhi.

GACC – Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (2013), ‘India’ – Data compiled on website:

http://www.cleancookstoves.org/countries/asia/india.html (accessed 06.08.2013).

IIPS – International Institute for Population Sciences (2007), ‘National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3)

2005–06: India’, Volume 1: Mumbai.

IIT & TERI (2010), ‘New Initiative for Development and Deployment of Improved Cookstoves: Recommended

Action Plan: Final Report’, prepared for the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India,

New Delhi.

Lambe, Fiona et al. (2012), ‘Putting the Cook Before the Stove: A User-Centered Approach to Understanding

Household Energy Decision-Making’, in Working Paper 2012 (03) of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

MNRE – Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India (2013), ‘National Biomass Cookstove

Programme’, http://www.mnre.gov.in/schemes/decentralized-systems/national-biomass-cookstoves-initiative/#

(accessed 29.08.2013).

Shrimali, Gireesh et al. (2011), ‘Improved Stoves in India: A Study of Sustainable Business Models’, in Energy

Policy 39 (11), pp. 1-14.

Smith, Kirk et al. (2007), ‘Monitoring and Evaluation of Improved Biomass Cookstove Programs for Indoor

Air Quality and Stove Performance: Conclusions from the Household Energy and Health Project’, in Energy

for Sustainable Development XI (2).

TERI (2010), ‘Biomass energy in India’, prepared for the International Institute for Environment and Development

(IIED), New Delhi, India.

TERI (2010b), ‘Biomass Energy in India’, a background paper prepared for the International Institute for

Environment and Development (IIED) for an international ESPA workshop on biomass energy,

19-21 October 2010, Parliament House Hotel, Edinburgh. TERI: New Delhi.

Venkataraman, C. et al. (2010), ‘he Indian National Initiative for Advanced Biomass Cookstoves: he Beneits

of Clean Combustion’, in Energy for Sustainable Development 14, pp. 63-72.

Volkmer, Heike (2012); ‘Assessment of Cooking Stove Sector in the hree States of Bihar, ttarakhand, and West

Bengal’, produced for the Indo-German Energy Programme – Renewable Energy (IGEN-RE), GIZ India: Delhi.

WHO – World Health Organization (2009), ‘Country Proiles of Environmental Burden of Disease: India’,

Public Health and the Environment, Geneva. Online Source: http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/

national/countryproile/india.pdf (accessed 06.08.13)

Winrock International (2004), ‘Household Energy, Indoor Air Pollution and Health: Overview of Experiences

and Lessons in India’, prepared for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, USA.

Sources

8 9

An improved portable cookstove in a kitchen in Kunda, Bihar

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

About GIZ

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Michael Blunck

Indo-German Energy ProgrammeProject Manager - Renewable Energy Component

GIZ Ofice India, 1st Floor, B5/2 Safdarjung Enclave New Delhi 110 029E: michael.blunck@giz.de www.giz.de www.igen-re.in