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After the Jiko? by Ian McChesney
Two views are possible. The first suggests that the stoves will become cheaper and, as the price of charcoal edges up, their use will become more widespread among the poorer groups who, so far, have not been major customers. This is a positive outlook. It is consistent with the objective of donors who wished to shorten the introduction time for a new product by carrying the development costs and subsidising the early launch of new stoves. As the required stove industry has emerged and matured this support has tapered off. The second view is rather less attractive. It suggests that urbanisation is proceeding very quickly and that the great majority of new entrants to Nairobi will find it increasingly harder to generate incomes. Firewood based fuels will remain a luxury for this group. As a consequence they will not benefit from improved stoves targeted primarily at medium/high income consumers. They will need assistance with cheaper cooking either through cheaper stoves or cheaper fuels if living standards are to be at all acceptable. It is fair to say that chapter 1 of the Jiko story has now been written. We also now have two themes for chapter 2. How far can commercial stove production spread the benefits of improved Jikos to poorer urban dwellers? Do the cooking activities of the poor require some form of subsidy, and if so how? Two topics, one practical; one political. So far there is little evidence of how these topics will be tackled. They are wider and more pervasive than the straightforward technical/commercial excitement of the early Jiko. These must be addressed now in rural and urban areas building on the Jiko experience rather than seeing this as the simple solution. Despite the success of the charcoal burning Jiko, rural housewives will be using "firewood" or other readily available and free fuels such as brush wood and agricultural residues for many years to come. The task of developing and disseminating more efficient stoves for the majority of the population is more difficult both technically and sociologically as the financial incentives available are much weaker. Several improved stoves are being promoted by different agencies and it is perhaps too early for the government to back any one of these. As a starting point, it is important for donors to recognise that the energy crisis has not simply slipped away. It will be back. Now is the time to prepare for the next phase of energy spending. Implementors, both in and outside government, must look closely at the lessons from recent experiences with energy projects. The "tap on: tap off" approach to project based funding is certainly an impediment to clearer long term planning. This should not, however, stand in the way of developing a future strategy. Agencies, often a vital link between the resources of donors and the problems of implementors, need to refocus their efforts on the poorer groups. How can they be helped. How can chapter 2 be written? [top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 15: Stove Progress in Kenya and Sri Lanka
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Page created:
28 August 2008; Last edited:
02 September 2008; Version: 0 | |||||||||
Pagename: BP15:AfterTheJiko @HEDON: MFNA | |||||||||
