The Role of Social Capital in Improved Cookstove Adoption in Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract

This study explores the role of social capital in adoption of improved cookstoves in Lusaka, Zambia. Improved cookstoves provide positive health benefits particularly for women and children under five, as well as other benefits including requiring less fuel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cooking, and improving overall well-being. Despite being relatively well off in the African context, Zambia has low rates of improved or clean cookstove adoption. We use data from a multi-year impact evaluation study undertaken by the Energy Poverty PIRE in Southern Africa (EPPSA) research team and collaborators. We use data collected during baseline and rapid surveys to understand the role of social capital in adoption of improved cookstoves and fuels marketed by two private sector firms, VITALITE and SupaMoto, who are marketing products to households in high density, low-income neighborhoods in Lusaka. Our study includes a sample of 350 households in two neighborhoods where stoves have already been adopted, and 467 households in two neighborhoods where marketing took place after our baseline data collection. In the latter group, 45% of households adopted stoves after the initial wave of marketing providing us with a total sample of 503 adopters and 343 non-adopters. Based on the results from this study, we found that no singular way we operationalized social capital had an impact on a population level. The two that had the largest impact were if a household agreed to at least one Trust question (if they have faith in most people or can rely on someone do complete a task for them) then likelihood of adoption increases and if a household agree to at least one Community question (if they participate in community decision making or feel part of the community) then likelihood of adoption decreases. This is pertinent specifically for the prospective user population. Other key variables include owning your home and having a female headed household, both of which increase likelihood of adoption. These results have important implications for the two cookstove firms because VITALITE and SupaMoto could use what was found in these results to adapt to the strong parts of their marketing base. This could be spaces that are primarily women occupied, for example, women’s savings and credit groups.