ingredients for sustainable cookstove interventions
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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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the ields of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education. GIZ
supports people and societies in shaping their own futures and improving their living conditions.
GIZ in India
Germany has been cooperating with India by providing expertise through GIZ for more than 50
years. To address India’s priority of sustainable and inclusive growth, GIZ’s joint eforts with the
partners in India currently focus on the following areas:
• Energy - renewable energy and energy eiciency
• Sustainable Urban and Industrial Development
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• Biodiversity Programme
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• Social Protection
• Financial Systems Development
Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
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
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