Exploring Clean Cooking Fuel Adoption in a Smokeless Village of Southern India: A Mixed Methods Study

Background:

Access to affordable, clean, and reliable energy is an important component of energy justice. Many households in rural communities in low and middle-income countries rely on traditional fuels for cooking such as firewood and dung. These fuels pose significant health risks, especially for women and children who face higher exposure to pollutants. Initiatives to distribute cleaner fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) have led to widespread adoption of clean cookstove technology. However, sustained use of these cookstoves remains a challenge, notably due to stacking – use of both traditional and cleaner cookstoves. Little is known stacking behavior over time and factors influencing these decisions. This research aims to assess trends in adoption and sustained use of LPG as well as stacking behavior in a village in southern India.

Methods:

We employ a convergent-parallel mixed-methods approach to assess the cookstove use of all households in a small village in southern India (n=25). The village was chosen as all residents had previously transitioned away from traditional fuels. Stove Use Monitoring Systems (SUMS) were installed for each household on traditional three-stone fire, biogas, and LPG stoves, and usage was tracked over 454 days. Qualitative interviews were conducted with women from each household to assess the rationale for fuel choice and the perceived benefits and challenges associated with each cookstove type. Quantitative data was analyzed using RStudio, and qualitative data were analyzed by two team members using MAXQDA and Atlas.ti.

Results:

The stove use monitoring data accounting for seasonality and time suggested that LPG was the most used fuel, followed by biogas and three-stone fire. Daily average by stove/fuel showed some seasonal and usage variation; biogas use dipped over the year and was low in the following winter, while three-stone fire usage went up. LPG usage remained mostly consistent throughout. Preliminary analysis of interviews showcases three broad takeaways. First, while most women viewed LPG positively – especially for its speed when cooking – concerns about the cost of gas refills were frequently cited for disuse. Second, the most common form of stacking reported was the use of traditional stoves for warming water or cooking large amounts of food, and the use of LPG for all other cooking. This indicates many avoid LPG for prolonged use, likely due to the cost. Finally, while many favor biogas as it is free of cost, the fuel is seen as unsustainable with rising water shortages.

Conclusion:

The smokeless village showed evidence of stacking fuels, pointing to a different everyday reality of fuel choice in rural India, and contrary to policy narratives. Stacking of traditional fuels and biogas alongside LPG stoves largely occur due to the financial constraints of LPG. Our findings indicate that interventions should focus on a sustainable financing model to address this barrier, rather than targeting awareness, perceptions, or other behavioral and cultural factors. Comparison and analysis of results illustrate the usefulness of both forms of data collection, addressing the limitations of each as a standalone approach and contributing to a more complete narrative.