The Improved Biomass Stove Saves Wood, But How Often Do People Use It? : Evidence from a Randomized Treatment Trial in Ethiopia

Beyene, Abebe D. ; Bluffstone, Randall ; Gebreegziabher, Zenebe ; Martinsson, Peter ; Mekonnen, Alemu ; Vieider, Ferdinand

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY;    FOREST DEGRADATION;    DATA PROCESSING;    BASES;    TEMPERATURE;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7297
RP-ID  :  WPS7297

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper uses a randomizedexperimental design and real-time electronic stove usemonitors to evaluate the frequency with which villagers useimproved biomass-burning Mirt injera cookstoves in ruralEthiopia. Understanding whether, how much, and why improvedcookstoves are used is important, because use of theimproved stove is a critical determinant of indoor airpollution reductions, and reduced greenhouse gas emissionsdue to lower fuelwood consumption. Confirming use is, forexample, a critical aspect of crediting improved cookstoves’climate change benefits under the United Nations ReducingEmissions from Deforestation and Forest DegradationProgramme. The paper finds that Ethiopian households in thestudy area do use the Mirt stove on a regular basis, takinginto account regional differences in cooking patterns. Ingeneral, stove users also use their Mirt stoves morefrequently over time. Giving the Mirt stove away for freeand supporting community-level user networks are estimatedto lead to more use. The study found no evidence, however,that stove recipients use the stoves more if they have topay for them, a hypothesis that frequently arises in policyarenas and has also been examined in the literature.