The adoption of improved cook stoves: its multifaceted benefits to environment and women´s lives

7/26/2019 The adoption of improved cook stoves: its multifaceted benefits to environment and womens lives

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TLSA RESEARCH CONFERENCE9 10 July 2015

The adoption of improved cook stoves

its multifaceted benefits to environment

and womens lives

by

Therese Nguyen Thi Phuong Tam

[email protected]


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Introduction50% of world population or 95% population of low-

income countries depend on wood, dung, agricultureresidues and coal for their energy needs (Dulflo,Greenstone & Hanna).

Wood fuel for cooking produces high levels of indoorair pollution. It causes 2 million premature deaths

every year from pneumonia (44%), chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (54%), and lung cancer (2%), andcontributes to a significant number of eye andrespiratory problems (WHO, 2004)

Deforestation outskirt of Dili was annually estimatedabout 110 sq. Km (Accenture DevelopmentPartnerships, 2011)

98% households use solid fuels for energy(Mercycorps, 2009)


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Women and the kitchen

Women are usually spend a lot of their life time in thekitchen, and often with children nearby.

Time spent for collecting fuel is time not spent on income-generation, education or other activities. In fact, cooking hasbecome one of the most dangerous daily activities forwomen in the developing world.

What is an improved cook stove?

An improved stove can be designed to improveenergy efficiency, remove smoke from indoor livingspace, or lessen the drudgery of cooking duties(World Banks, 2011).


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0.0

20,000.0

40,000.0

60,000.0

80,000.0

100,000.0

120,000.0

140,000.0

year 2009 year 2010 year 2011 year 2012 year 2013

< 1 year 1 - 4 year

Source: Ministry of Health, 2009, 2010,2011, 2012, 2013

Cases of Acute Upper Respiratory Infection of children under five years

Timor-Leste (2009 2013)


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Objectives of the research

It unfolds the visible and invisible benefits of cookstoves to improve womens lives.

The research aims at discovering the decision makingprocess of principle actors at the household level inchoosing the new cooking technology.

It uncovered the impact of the cook stoves on thehealth of the household members especially health ofthe women and children.

The research also discovered the social andeconomic impact on households that use the cookstoves.


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The average number of children of one family 4 children

The average number of the family members living

under the same roof

9 persons

The women are in fertility group (25 49) 14 women

Tasks of cooking 18 women

Education level: Primary schooling 6 women

From secondary to Graduate 12 women

Research Findings

Respondentss profile


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Using the open fire places, oldpractices with manydisadvantages

Rural area: The cost of collectingfirewood is considered very highdue to the time and number ofpersons involved

Urban areas: bigger amount ofmoney spend for firewood (half ofthe expense for food weekly)

Mean of expenses

for food of a

household weekly

$13,6

Mean of expenses

spent for firewoodby using an open

fireplace weekly

$ 8,7

The expenses for firewood takeaway 57% of the expenses for

food weekly for a household

using open fire.


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Time spent for collectingfirewood of this research.

Most of the householdscollect firewood 2 times perweek.

Baucau: from 3 5hours/time

Dili: from 2 5 hours/time

Ermera: 1 2,5 hours/time

Time spent in the researchof MercyCorps (2009)

In Timor-Leste, householdshave to collect 3 - 4 timesweekly and over distances of2 3 km.

Time spent varies from 8

15 hours per week. Theburden for fuel collectionfalls upon the whole family,diverting time from incomegeneration and education.


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A simple calculationIn TimorLeste according to the estimation of one surveydone by Mercy corps (2014) showed that averagely ahousehold uses 9,3 kg of firewood every day (3.4 tons peryear).

In Timor Leste we have 184,652.0 households (RDTL, 2010)with nearly 90% of households still use wood as their mainenergy for cooking then we can have a simple calculationof the amount of wood would be destroyed annually as

following: 90% x 184.652,0 x 3,4 tons of wood per year =565,035.1 tons of wood per year.


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The motivation of shifting to new cookstove

0

20

40

60

80

100

kitchen looks

cleaner

Lessening

tiredness

Reducing

smoke

Reducing time

for cooking

Reducing

firewood and

money

Reasons of adopting

Series 1

38.9%

38.9%

5.6%

11.1%

5.6%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

See people selling in the

market or on the cart

My relatives

Seeing the Expo

TV

NGO

SOURCES OF

INFORMATION ABOUT

THE STOVES


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Education level Who make the decision TotalMyself Me and my

husbandMe and my

mother

Primary School 5 1 0 6

Secondaryschool

2 2 2 6

High school 1 0 0 1

Undergraduate4 0 0 4

Graduate 1 0 0 1Total 13 3 2 18

Cross table between level of education and decision

making


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Multifaceted enefits of using improved cook stoves

Saving money Reducing of smoke

When was asked to scale the levelof smokes that they felt betweentwo cooking tools with the same

fuel, the results are so significant:the feeling of hot or red eyesreduced up to 78% was reportedfrom 18 respondents who are usingthe cook stoves. The feeling of the

amount of smokes that emittedfrom the stove also reducedsignificantly by 74%.

Before using

the clayed-

cooking

stoves; $ 8.7

After using

the clayed-

cooking

stoves; $ 5.2

COMPARING THE MEAN OF MONEY SPENT WEEKLY


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10

4.7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Open fire places Improved cook stoves

Time of cooking reduced significantly Time spent for other activities

51.7

24.1 24.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Doing other domestic works Stduy ing Rest ing


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Hidden benefits that we hardlyrecognize

Many cases of domesticviolence that I observed werecaused by the absence of thewife for the task of collecting

firewood. The wife is usually

out of the house to collectfirewood then when she cameback, the husband did nottake care well the children.

Then they quarrel and

household conflict started.Mr. Tomas, a producer ofcook stoves in Baucau.

When I used the three-

stone open fire, My

kitchen and my living room

were so black, and dirty,the fire is easily crossed

by the wind. We spent a

lot of woods but the rice

is not well done. My

children keep on coughing

during the rainy seasonbecause at that time the

wood is humid and produced

a lot of smoke when we

cooked. The improved cook

stove is much better I do

not have to blow or fanthe fire to provide more

air for the wood can catch

the fire. Another benefit

that I notice when using

the cook stove is that

wood ashes (ahi desan),also made us cou h, is


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Conclusion and policy implication

This research exclusively engages

with the issues of ecologicalsustainability, health, social andeconomic impact of usingimproved, innovative livelihoodtechnology.

This research recognizes that

cook stoves that consumingfirewood are just temporalsolutions for Timoresecommunities. The moresustainable cook-stoves would bethe biogas, solar cookers or biobriquette stoves.

Given a wide range of benefits

from this technology thousands ofhouseholds still adhere to thetraditional style of cooking.

The improved cook stoves orefficient energy cook stoves canonly be up taken by the women

when it meets their needs or beconvenient for them.

The adaption to the newtechnology need a supportingenvironment surrounded withmore producers, innovators, andusers of those technologies toinduce the curiosity and behaviorchange.


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Government and NGOs role iseducation and awareness-raisingabout economic, social and healthbenefits of improved cooking

technologiesPromotion of efficient cook stovesin areas vulnerable to deforestation.

Sectors of public health, economicand education have to coordinate

with energy sector to plancomprehensively to invest and guidethe population to use healthy,sustainable village technology thatcan enhance the quality of womenslives in particular and the family andcommunity as a whole

It is needed to create policy orregulation to promote clean stovesvillages, this can help reinforcingbehavior change process of theinhabitants in the same area.

More specific researches relating toculture of cooking, types of rawcooking materials, types of finalexpected food, etcin the communityare recommended.

One interesting idea that emerge from

the group discussion mentioned that itwill be useful if we include cookingtechnology or village technology in highschool curriculum or can be extra-curriculum so that the students canhave more options or choices for theirfuture plan after high school.

Government need to support morestoves producers to start up theirbusiness. Giving out more grant forinnovation on clean stoves.

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The adoption of improved cook stoves: its multifaceted benefits to environment and women´s lives