Diffusion of Rural Innovations: Some Analytical Issues and the Case of Wood-burning Stoves

The literature on the diffusion of rural innovations in Third World countries reveals a spectrum of approaches to the diffusion process. It is argued here that the effectiveness of a particular approach in the diffusion of particular innovations would depend on the technical, the economic and the social characteristics of the innovations. A typology of innovations in terms of these characteristics has been drawn up. This provides the analytical framework within which the instance of wood-burning stoves is concerned. A priori, the characteristics of this innovation are seen to be such as to necessitate the close involvement of the users in the design process itself; they point to the likely inappropriateness of the usual ‘top-down’ approach to diffusion. Available evidence relating to actual experience with promoting woodburning stoves is seen to bear this out.