Clean Fuel-Saving Technology Adoption in Urban Ethiopia

The heavy dependence and inefficient utilization of biomass resources have contributed to the depletion of forest resources in Ethiopia, while the use of traditional cooking technology, one source of inefficient biomass resource use, has been linked to indoor air pollution and poor health. In response, the government and other institutions have pushed for the adoption of new cooking technologies. This research examines the speed of adoption of Mirt and Lakech cook stoves — two examples of new cooking technologies — in urban Ethiopia. In terms of the duration analysis, adoption has been increasing over time; income and wealth are important contributors to adoption, and substitute technologies tend to hinder adoption. However, it was not possible to consider prices or perceptions related to either the technologies or biomass availability in the duration models, and, therefore, additional research is needed to inform policy further with respect to household technology adoption decisions.