Cooking Shouldn't Kill
A recent convergence of government interest, private sector investment and available technology has renewed and highlighted the issue of clean cookstoves on the development agenda.
The panel, "Mobilize together: Collaborative NGO Innovation for Greater Impact," was made up of private sector, government and NGO representatives and one resteranteur. Moderated by Radha Muthiah from the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, speakers included Chef Jose Andres, the 2011 James Beard Winner, Eric Postel, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Economic Growth, Education and Environmnet at USAID, Daniel Wolf, founder of International Lifeline Fund, and David Broach, Vice President of Social Enterprises at Enterprise Works.
Traditionally, clean cookstove initiatives by NGOs have been byproducts of humanitarian interventions in crises and refugee camps. Because these were not targeted interventions, sucess in getting people to change from wood and coal cooking fires to clean cookstoves has been limited. “We weren’t doing enough monitoring and evaluation,” said Postel.
A new emphasis on reporting and impact evaluation, led USAID to create the Fuel Efficient Stove Toolkit. Postel noted that incorporating lessons learned from this resource is essential for organizations applying for funds in this area.
Panelists agreed on a need for the private sector to lead the scale-up process, as it is positioned to develop the market and coordinate distribution. However, it remains a challenge to convince a person living on $3 a day to purchase a $10 stove.
Marketing for clean cookstoves has been largely health-based messaging that has focused on the health impacts on children when their mothers cook over wood or coal fires. These campaigns have not been successful. Audience member Ann Koonz, Excutive Director at Enterprise Works/VITA pointed out the need to evolve health-based messaging into aspirational marketing, “At the end of the day would you want to invest your hard earned income in this product if you feel like you’re being attacked?”
Contributed by Zoe Plaugher
