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Equitable Commercialization of Improved Cook Stoves

Equitable Commercialization of Improved Cook Stoves. Gregory Simon University of Washington Department of Geography. Government Program. National Program on Improved Chulah (NPIC) 1984-2002 Reduce fuel consumption/ protect the environment

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Equitable Commercialization of Improved Cook Stoves

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  1. Equitable Commercialization of Improved Cook Stoves Gregory Simon University of Washington Department of Geography

  2. Government Program • National Program on Improved Chulah (NPIC) • 1984-2002 • Reduce fuel consumption/ protect the environment • Reduce drudgery for women (time and energy to gather wood) • Subsidy based • Role of Appropriate Rural Technologies Institute (ARTI) • Technical Backup Unit under NPIC • Only involved in technologies- no say in who gets which stove

  3. Subsidy-Based Stove Dissemination • Artisan receives quota from Government of India (MNES) • Target oriented • Minimal input from users • Minimal financial or personal investment • Short lifespan stoves

  4. Shell Foundation • Decentralized authority to state and local agencies • Simultaneous involvement by Shell Foundation • Project Title: Commercialization of Biomass Fuel and Cooking Devices (2002) • First phase of program complete (Beginning of ‘scale up’)

  5. Market-Based Stove Dissemination • Artisans receive financial support for marketing items • NGO receives money for training, demos and marketing • Emphasis on cultivating personal investment in stoves • Localize support services • Sustainable business model- Commercialization Toolkit • No subsidies

  6. Research Questions • What has been the influence of commercialization? • How can dissemination be improved?

  7. Geographical Context State: Maharashtra Districts: Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur

  8. Methods • Interviews with actors along delivery ‘chain’ • Focus on stove users • Personal interviews • N = 50 stove users • Village level IC survey • N = 5 villages of varying wealth

  9. Organizational Structure Shell Foundation ARTI Smaller NGOs Entrepreneurs Stove Users

  10. Findings • Despite significant program success, benefits unevenly distributed: • Poorest demographic receives fewer stoves • Poorest villages receive little to no coverage

  11. Findings • However…notable success stories • ARTI encourages and facilitates local, bottom-end organizations to mediate commercialization schemes and achieve equitable distribution. • The power of decentralized governance • Bottom-end organizations raise money, provide loans

  12. Examples of Bottom-end Delivery Sector Assistance • Self Help Groups (SHGs) • In all villages, loans given to poorest SHG members for the purchase of stoves. • Village Panchayat (Village level governing body) • In two villages, Panchayat helped finance 50% of Rs 300 stoves to poor through village funds. • Non-Partner NGOs • ‘Art of Living’ provided subsidies Rs 250 of Rs 300 stove to produce model ‘smoke free’ village. Wealthy and poor received stoves.

  13. Modified Organizational Structure Shell Foundation ARTI Smaller NGOs Entrepreneurs SHGs, Panchayat, Non-Partner NGOs Bottom End (Upward) Injection of Money Stove Users

  14. Providing Incentives for Bottom-End Participation • Panchayat and SHGs receive incentive to aid in the delivery of Improved Cookstove as a result of government programs. • Ex. Clean Village Awards

  15. Don’t Forget the Little Guys! • Need to encourage and facilitate bottom-end delivery organizations • Valuable political, social and economic capital • Likeminded, shrewd, enterprising and capable • They provide: • A financial safety net for poorest stove users • An otherwise unavailable market for entrepreneurs • Supplemental marketing assistance for artisans

  16. Looking Locally to Achieve Equity • Important for policy makers and project managers to identify: • Challenges: Account for stove user and artisan level inequities • Opportunities: Integrate bottom-end organizations into the stove delivery model • Improve the health and livelihood of both stove users and artisans • Commercialization schemes can achieve ‘robust’ success (i.e., producing both a sustainable and equitable business model)

  17. Research Funded by: National Science Foundation University of Washington

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