Improved Cook-stoves and Environmental and Health Outcomes: Lessons from Cross River State, Nigeria

Robert Ugochukwu Onyeneke, Chinyere Augusta Nwajiuba, Jane Munonye, Uwazie Iyke Uwazie, Nkechinyere Uwajumogu, Christian Obioma Uwadoka and Jonathan Ogbeni Aligbe
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Robert Ugochukwu Onyeneke: Department of Agriculture (Agricultural Economics and Extension Programme), Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State 482131, Nigeria
Chinyere Augusta Nwajiuba: Department of Educational Foundations, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State 482131, Nigeria
Jane Munonye: Department of Agriculture (Agricultural Economics and Extension Programme), Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State 482131, Nigeria
Uwazie Iyke Uwazie: Department of Economics, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State 440109, Nigeria
Nkechinyere Uwajumogu: Department of Economics and Development Studies, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State 482131, Nigeria
Christian Obioma Uwadoka: Centre for Development Assistance Management, Partnership and Training, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State 482131, Nigeria
Jonathan Ogbeni Aligbe: Department of Planning and Policy Coordination, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Benin City 300251, Nigeria

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: This paper studies a topic in the triangle of environment, development and health—the effectiveness of the improved cooking solution. While a range of improved cook-stoves (ICS) is available in the market, since decades with a number of new entrants from recent years, adoption is still low in many developing regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa, also because stove performance is sometimes found to be deficient. However, in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, few improved cook-stove interventions are on-going. Incidentally, there is little evidence on the effect of improved cook-stoves on different components of health and environmental outcomes in rural Nigeria. This study, using cross-sectional data from Cross River State, the State with the largest forest area in the country, analyzed the impacts of locally designed improved cook-stoves on the environmental and health outcomes of rural women. A sample of four hundred (400) married women was drawn from eight rural communities with the highest concentration of improved cook-stove users. The woman in-charge of cooking in each household was the respondent. Also, in each household, the household head (if different from the primary cook) was interviewed. Using inverse propensity score weighting for data analysis, we found significant fuel and time savings from the adoption of the cook-stove. However, this study found no evidence of the reduction of indoor air pollution associated diseases given stove design and users’ behavior. This underscores the need to revisit the design of the stove and consider users’ cooking behavior in the design.

Keywords: fuelwood cook-stove; adoption; impact; health and environmental outcomes; inverse propensity score matching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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