The Effects of Fuel-Efficient Cookstoves on Fuel Use, Particulate Matter, and Cooking Practices: Results from a Randomized Trial in Rural Uganda

Smoky cookfires contribute to global climate change and kill approximately four million people annually. While many studies have examined the effects of fuel-efficient cookstoves, this study was first do so while selling stoves at market prices. After introducing a cookstove, fuelwood use household air particulates declined by 12% smaller percentages after adjusting for observer-induced bias, or Hawthorne effect. These reductions were less than laboratory predictions fell well short World Health Organization pollution targets. Even when second stove, most households continued their traditional cooking.