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Household cooking fuel use patterns and determinants across southern Africa: Evidence from the demographic and health survey data
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Improving access to modern energy sources is critical to enhancing the quality of life of many people in developing countries. In southern Africa, the majority of rural and poor urban households are dependent on solid fuels to meet their cooking needs. To date, there is scarce information in the literature on household cooking fuel patterns across southern Africa. Using household fuel data from the Demographic and Health Survey, this study investigated cooking fuel types and the determinants of their choice by households in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The data on household cooking energy were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. Results show that 25% of sampled households in all seven countries have access to electricity, while 66% rely on biomass for cooking. Chi-Square analyses revealed a statistically significant relationship between place of residence and type of cooking fuel, and between access to electricity and type of cooking fuel. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that socio-demographic factors such as access to electricity, household size, the level of education and wealth index have a positive influence on the type of cooking fuel used in this region. However, access to electricity does not imply that households will negate the use of traditional fuels. These results have implications for household air pollution, health, policy and environmental sustainability. It is recommended that energy interventions in this region need to consider demand factors and have to be less supply driven, advocating for continued use of multiple fuels from a suite of options.
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... By implementing these policy recommendations, Somaliland can effectively address the challenges associated with solid fuel use, paving the way for a healthier and more sustainable future for its people. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] ...
This study, utilizing data from the 2020 Somaliland Demographic and Health Survey, investigates the prevalence of household solidfuel use in Somaliland and the factors associated with this practice. Our analysis reveals that a staggering 97.2% of households rely on solidfuels like wood and charcoal for cooking, with only 2.8% utilizing clean energy sources. We employed multilevel logistic regression to examinethe influence of individual and community-level variables on fuel choice. Results highlight the significant roles of education level, gender of thehousehold head, wealth status, and location of cooking in shaping fuel selection. The study, aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 7:Affordable and Clean Energy, emphasizes the urgency of promoting clean energy alternatives, improving cooking practices, and addressing thehealth and environmental impacts of solid fuel usage to foster a more sustainable energy landscape in Somaliland.
... The finding aligns with the results of Ali and Khan (2022), who posited that older household heads are more inclined to select clean energies rather than traditional fuels due to the health risks linked to solid fuel usage. Nonetheless, this finding contradicts results from similar studies (Makonese et al. 2018;Katusi et al. 2020), which indicate that older household heads generally prefer traditional fuels over modern fuels due to tradition and familiarity with energy types. Endalew et al. (2022) assert that elder family heads tend to adhere to norms and traditions, which promotes the use of traditional energy sources such as fuelwood, crop residue, and animal dung. ...
Access to clean and efficient energy is acknowledged as a key prerequisite for sustainable development and as the most reliable way to achieve environmental sustainability. However, many people in sub-Saharan Africa continue to cook with solid fuels, which has a severe effect on the environment, health and living standards. The current research investigates the complex relationships between demographic factors (education, household size, and gender) and cooking fuel choice in Ghana by applying a multinomial logit model to the Ghana Living Standard Survey. While the influence of basic, secondary, and tertiary education on modern energy choice remains consistent across household sizes for male-headed households, secondary and tertiary education positively influenced transitional energy choice in male-headed households with larger household sizes compared to smaller ones. However, the results indicate that the effects of secondary and tertiary education on traditional energy choice are weaker for male-headed households with larger family sizes than smaller ones. Moreover, while age, access to radio, and electricity influenced cooking fuel choices, income and urbanisation positively influenced transitional and modern energies, with unemployed, self-employed, house ownership, forest, and savannah zones having negative effects on transitional and modern energies compared to traditional energy. The findings suggest that investigating the nuanced relationships between education, household size, gender, and energy choice may yield valuable insights for policies that increase access to clean cooking fuels.
... This may be due partly to cultural and traditional roles in fuel choice, through which men are involved in maintaining customary traditions like gathering firewood. Other studies, such as Buba et al. (2017) and Makonese et al. (2017), have also found that gender influences the choice of fuel: male-headed households are more likely to prefer traditional biomass fuels rather than modern fuels. A greater number of children within a household lowers the chances of firewood use and increases the likelihood of LPG adoption. ...
The energy sector plays a vital role in socio-economic development, and this study examines the factors influencing cooking fuel choices and their associated health impacts in rural Tehsil Mirpur, AJK. Using data from 400 households and employing multinomial and binary logistic regressions, the study finds that household income, age, and education of the household head, and the number of children under five are positively linked to using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). Conversely, household size, gender of the head, and poverty are associated with traditional fuel use. Health outcomes, such as COPD, asthma, and respiratory infections, are inversely related to income, education, and good ventilation. The study suggests government policies focus on increasing access to clean cooking fuels to improve public health.
... However, little is known about access to clean cooking fuels by food vendors. The majority of the studies on access to clean cooking fuels usually focus on households in urban and rural areas (see Wassie et al. 2021;Makonese et al. 2018 Adewole, et al. (2013) focused on the health implications of using clean fuels. The problem of access to clean cooking fuels among food vendors who consume a large proportion of key cooking fuels is overlooked. ...
The extensive use of solid fuels in food preparation such as firewood and charcoal presents problems for the environment, human health, and the economy. In Nigeria, more than 175 million people rely on traditional biomass for daily cooking. While significant research has been done on access to clean cooking fuels among households, particularly households in rural areas, there is a gap in the study of access to clean fuels among food vendors in developing countries, including Nigeria. This study explores factors influencing access to clean cooking fuel among food vendors in Nigeria. The study adopts a cross-sectional survey design, a pretested questionnaire was administered to all the registered food vendors in the study area. The results show that a significant number of the food vendors in the study area use solid fuels such as firewood and coal. Probit regression result indicates that education and income are significant factors that increase predicted probability of the use of clean fuel among food vendors. Empirical findings also show that financial constraints, availability and distribution of clean fuel, technical issues, and lack of information on the importance of clean fuel usage are some of the attention-seeking challenges inhibiting the adoption of clean cooking fuels among food vendors. Thus, the study suggests the need for integrated strategies that aim at increasing awareness of the benefits of adopting clean cooking fuels among food vendors, improving the affordability of clean cooking fuels, and providing technical assistance for transitioning into clean cooking fuels.
... Hystad et al. (2019) conducted a prospective cohort study investigating the health effects of HAP in 11 countries and found that the use of solid fuels (coal, wood, dung, or crop residues) for cooking is a risk factor for mortality and cardiorespiratory disease. Makonese et al. (2018) estimated that 66% of households in seven selected Sub-Saharan African countries use biomass for cooking. ...
There is growing global concern regarding the detrimental health impacts of PM2.5 emissions from traditional stoves that utilize polluting fuels. Conventional methods for estimating daily personal PM2.5 exposure involve personal air samplers and measuring devices placed in a waist pouch, but these instruments are cumbersome and inconvenient. To address this issue, we developed a novel neck-mounted PM2.5 monitoring device (Pocket PM2.5 Logger) that is compact, lightweight, and can operate continuously for 1 week without recharging. Twelve participants who utilized charcoal, firewood, or propane gas for cooking in rural regions of Rwanda wore the Pocket PM2.5 Logger continuously for 1 week, and time-series variations in personal PM2.5 exposure were recorded at 5-min intervals. Individual daily exposure concentrations during cooking differed significantly among users of the different fuel types, and PM2.5 exposure was at least 2.6 and 3.4 times higher for charcoal and firewood users, respectively, than for propane gas users. Therefore, switching from biomass fuels to propane gas would reduce daily individual exposure by at least one-third. An analysis of cooking times showed that the median cooking time per meal was 30 min; however, half the participants cooked for 1.5 h per meal, and one-third cooked for over 4.5 h per meal. Reducing these extremely long cooking times would reduce exposure with all fuel types. The Pocket PM2.5 Logger facilitates the comprehensive assessment of personal PM2.5 exposure dynamics and is beneficial for the development of intervention strategies targeting household air pollution.
This paper presents an analysis of household energy uses in an informal settlement in Mu buga,
Gitega, Burundi. At the time of the survey, the houses in Mubuga were not connected to the national
electricity grid. Data were collected from a survey of 100 households through structured and open interviews. Of the interviewed households, 84 percent indicated that they used fuelwood as a primary energy source for cooking. About 94 percent used charcoal for commercial (barbecuing/grilling meat) purposes and 22 percent used it for domestic cooking. For lighting, kerosene accounted for 55 percent followed by candles (36%) and rechargeable lanterns (10%). Households in Mubuga used multiple energy carriers for cooking and heating needs. It is therefore recommended that intervention models that advocate for multiple fuel use should be promoted in the area. This allows indigent families to freely choose cooking fuels from a set of options.
This paper presents a survey from a sample of 52 households from three informal urban settlements in Tembisa, Johannesburg, namely Vusimuzi, Madela Kufa Section 1 and Madela Kufa Section 2. The survey covered energy needs for cooking, space heating, water heating and lighting. No information was requested on the age, gender, status in the household, income level of the respondents, or the number of persons in the household. Coal was the primary source of energy for cooking, water heating and space heating, while kerosene was frequently used for cooking and lighting, and less for water heating. The majority of informal dwellings were not connected to the electricity grid at the time of the survey, save for a few which were connected through petrol-powered electric generators or through electricity obtained from a network of illegal connections. None of the households purchased LP gas for domestic use; the fuel is generally perceived to be unsafe for use in these settlements. Factors such as seasonality, the availability and price of fuels, and socio-cultural aspects affect fuel choices and the quantity consumed.
Household energy choices have always been associated with, household income, size education and accessibility and affordability. Little attention has been paid to behavioural and cultural factors regarding the determinants of households’ energy choices. This study attempts to show the significance of culture as a household energy determinant in Chiwundura Communal Area in Zimbabwe. The study employed interviews and observations in data collection. In analysing the data, the research looked at the trends of the responses from the interviewees. Themes were then developed and these were then analysed. It was established that behavioural and cultural practices, lifestyles and food preferences were important in the continued reliance on fuelwood as a cooking energy form. Respondents from households mentioned that food prepared over a traditional cooking stove was tastier than food that was prepared on an electrical stove. The traditional fire had multiple uses that included space heating, preservation of food and seed, flavouring meat and fish as well as acting as a social focus. Traditional fires remain an important aspect in the lives of Chiwundura Communal Area households. Therefore it is recommended that further research on the importance of culture and behavioural factors as energy determinants should be conducted. It is important for development agencies and other stakeholders such as the government to develop sustainable ways of utilising fuelwood as households will continue to rely on it.
"The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) brings together over 300 international researchers to provide an independent, scientifically based, integrated and policy-relevant analysis of current and emerging energy issues and options. It has been peer-reviewed anonymously by an additional 200 international experts. The GEA assesses the major global challenges for sustainable development and their linkages to energy; the technologies and resources available for providing energy services; future energy systems that address the major challenges; and the policies and other measures that are needed to realize transformational change toward sustainable energy futures. The GEA goes beyond existing studies on energy issues by presenting a comprehensive and integrated analysis of energy challenges, opportunities and strategies, for developing, industrialized and emerging economies. This volume is an invaluable resource for energy specialists and technologists in all sectors (academia, industry and government) as well as policymakers, development economists and practitioners in international organizations and national governments"--
This paper considers the problem of determining future climate change in Africa due to human modification of the global atmosphere. Some of the main conclusions may be summarised as follows: Natural climate variability in Africa, particularly rainfall, is large. This variability can be manifest regionally as severe droughts on yearly time-scales or as more prolonged desiccation over one or more decades. The nature of future climate change for Africa is not known with any great confidence. Climate change scenarios have been constructed here in a systematic manner making clear their assumptions and uncertainties, but it remains impossible to attach specific probabilities to them. There is a paucity of detailed climate change impact case studies for Africa. The level of vulnerability of African societies to climate change depends on their present-day vulnerability which is determined by their economic, political and institutional capabilities. Future demographic changes in Africa and the development path the continent pursues will determine the eventual significance of global warming for Africa. The scope for alternative African emissions trajectories to significantly alter global warming rates over the next 100 yr is very limited. -from Authors
The aim of this study was to investigate the types of cooking fuels and factors that influence their choice by households in Nigeria. Cross national data used were extracted from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) on households' cooking energy and was subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated that 55% of sampled households have access to electricity, while about two-third (66.3%) of households depend on biomass as fuel for cooking. The Chi-square analysis revealed that a significant statistical relationship existed between geo-political regions, place of residence, access to electricity, educational level, and wealth index and type of cooking used. Results also showed significant statistical differences between rural and urban households' type of cooking fuel while analysis of variance found significant differences in the type of cooking fuel according to regions, educational level, and wealth index. Multiple regression results demonstrated that socio-economic factors such as household size, geographical region, place of residence, educational level and wealth index have a significant positive influence on the type of cooking fuel used by households in Nigeria. However, access to electricity showed no significant association with the household type of cooking fuel. These results have important implications for human health and environmental sustainability, and therefore it was recommended that government needs to intensify educational efforts towards enlightening people about the need for the sustainable utilization of energy resources.
At the request of the Angolan government in 2005, the IEA conducted a survey of the Angolan energy sector and energy policies. This resulting report on Angola focuses on areas for priority action and hones in on energy subsectors likely to play the largest role in meeting domestic demand for modern energy services: notably electricity and oil products. As biomass currently plays an immense role in meeting the bulk of the energy needs of Angolan households, this sub-sector is also featured, with emphasis on improving the sustainability of this renewable energy source. This study offers a realistic update on Angola's present day energy situation and identifies the main priorities which could form the basis of an effective overall energy strategy. It also provides lessons that could be applicable in many other developing countries.
Biomass, mainly firewood and charcoal contributes over 90% of Malawi's total energy demand. As a result, deforestation is increasing at unprecedented rate threatening firewood supply. Individual assessment of various cooking technologies has been widely studied without comparing among cooking technologies. This study compares the performance of the three-stone fireplace, Rocket stove and Chitetezo stove cooking technologies in Malawi. We use Specific Fuel consumption (SC) as a proxy for principal indicator of technology efficiency. The finding reveals that Rocket stove uses less time, less fuelwood and produces less smoke.