Integrating Systems Science Approach to Enhance Adoption and Sustained Use of Cleaner Stoves in Kigeme Refugee Camp

Project Summary

Multiple factors impact adoption (initial uptake) and patterns (i.e. extent and degree of use) of clean cooking use. The implementation science literature on cleaner cooking solutions have identified two significant gaps: 1) limited systematic research exploring adoption and patterns of use of cleaner cooking systems in humanitarian settings; 2) limited system science approaches to explore factors impacting adoption and patterns of use of cleaner cooking systems. This study attempts to address both these limitations. The overall objective of the study is to incorporate system science approaches within our ongoing funded project to examine factors that impact adoption and use of cleaner cooking systems in a humanitarian setting in Rwanda.

Approach

• We introduced Group Model Building (GMB) and Community Based System Dynamics (CBSD) to understand the factors influencing adoption and patterns of use of cleaner cooking systems. Use of models to understand new product adoption and diffusion is an established practice. Applications of CBSD in this space are only just evolving to fill the gap in understanding the communities’ perspective of clean energy technologies. We built on early examples of the approach’s utility in a new way by applying CBSD to compare multiple stakeholder perspectives to gain new insights into the dynamics generating differences in adoption and patterns of use of cleaner cooking systems.
  
  
• We applied egocentric social network analysis to explore the impact of peers on adoption and use of cleaner cooking systems in these settings. The investigation and use of social networks to understand cookstove adoption are much less common but is garnering momentum in implementation science.