Abstract for: A CBSD Study to understand stacking of solar induction and LPG cookstoves along with traditional biomass cookstoves

Transitioning rural households to adopt clean cooking solutions (such as LPG/ solar/ biogas/ electric) from the predominantly used biomass (unclean) is a major focus area worldwide. Clean cooking has significant health, and environmental benefits. Adoption of cookstoves is a very complex phenomenon, with social, economic, and cultural factors determining the adoption of cookstoves by a community. However, evidence from around the world shows us that stacking of cookstoves (using multiple cooking options together) will be the norm. So a more pragmatic approach will be to transition HHs from unclean stacking, say using LPG and biomass, to clean stacking, say using LPG and solar-based electric cookstoves. This paper presents a community-based system dynamics (CBSD) approach to understand the stacking pattern of different cookstoves in a rural community in India. The activity was conducted with a group of women, majority of them illiterate. Hence conducting the CBSD activity itself was challenging. This paper will shed light on the methodology adopted for conducting the activity and the findings that emerged from the activity. Many interesting factors such as seasonal variation, local food requirements, and cultural/ traditional beliefs were found to have an impact on the stacking pattern of cookstoves.