Diffusion of Efficient Biomass Cookstoves in India: A Case Study in Socio-Technical Transitions

Abstract

Recently, incomes in rural India have been increasing due to strong manufacturing growth. As a result, the consumption pattern of rural India has begun to emulate that of urban India, with increased spending overall. However, despite expanding consumption, rural households surprisingly still persist in using inefficient traditional biomass cookstoves. These traditional stoves remain in use despite growth in income because of their strong ties with social and cultural practices. Thus, an efficient cookstove that requires minimal changes in social and cultural practices would bring about the socio-technical transition needed for a widespread shift to cleaner cookstoves. This shift would impact some vital aspects of sustainability, especially across environmental and social domains. Previous attempts to promote efficient biomass cookstoves in rural India required significant behavioral changes and, as a result, could not induce such a socio-technical transition, leading to an ultimate failure to gain traction in the rural market. However, Greenway Grameen Infra (GGI), a new collaborative effort in design & distribution of efficient cookstoves, has been successful in promoting its flagship product, the “Greenway Smart Stove,” to the rural consumers. The paper takes a case study approach, conducting an investigation into the relative success of the “Greenway Smart Stove” in rural India. This success is analyzed in the context of socio-technical transitions, providing insight into the manner in which the product and its marketing efforts were able to trigger this transition and induce widespread adoption of efficient cookstoves in target regions. The Greenway Smart Stove is evaluated in terms of five criteria: i) Its relative advantage compared to the traditional stoves and other similar stoves; ii) Compatibility with existing values, needs and past experiences of potential adopters; iii) Simplicity - in terms of ease of use; iv) Trialability - experiment with the product on a limited basis; and v) Observability - In terms of ease to see the results of an innovation.