Adoption of Energy-saving Maendeleo Stoves in Kenya

Fuel wood is the main source of energy for cooking and space heating for over 90 percent of households living in the rural areas in developing countries. Increasing dependency on the firewood has resulted in many adverse effects on environment and human health. As part of innovation efforts, several energy-conserving technologies have been developed. A unique type of cook stove named Maendeleo was innovatively introduced in Kenya, with the goal of reducing the quantity of wood households use for energy, and ultimately reduce pressure on local forests. However, despite the demonstrated multiple benefits and the institutional promotional efforts of the cook stove; the adoption level of this innovation has remained low and fuel shortages continue to be severe. This book identifies some of the key factors influencing adoption of the Maendeleo stove in Kenya, hence broaden the knowledge on issues and factors that may positively or negatively affect the adoption and continued use of Maendeleo stove. The book is recommended for policy makers, extension agents, technology-designers and technology-users as they endeavor to disseminate and scale up the technology to wider end-users.