At the last Rose Cafe, Professor Garrick Blalock discussed his research on clean cook stoves for use in East Africa and why these more efficient, healthier, and relatively cheap products aren’t being adopted by people who are currently using very primitive methods for cooking. In order to make the issue relatable, Professor Blalock used an ingenious analogy about our use of energy-efficient cars in the U.S. Most of us care about the environment and know that a car such as a Prius or Tesla is a better option in terms of fewer emissions, yet only a small percentage of people actually own such a car. Clearly, there’s a discrepancy between the products available to consumers, and the consumer’s needs and values. This stems from a number of factors, ranging from vehicle affordability, size, range, style, and convenience. But although the products don’t perfectly align with consumer needs, various marketing techniques can be used to increase demand.

Similarly, superior technology is available in East Africa, yet people mostly elect to continue cooking with a three-stone stove that requires time spent collecting fire-wood, yields low efficiency in terms of how much energy is actually used for productive heating, and causes extreme health issues due to the excessive smoke created by this cooking method that accumulates indoors, where people spend hours a day inhaling this harmful byproduct. Initially, it seems shocking that people wouldn’t opt for a better method, but when considered in context, it makes more sense. Just like the Prius, which is objectively the better option, more advanced stoves don’t meet the needs of the people they’re trying to serve. There is no way to adjust the temperature on such a stove, it’s relatively expensive whereas three stones are free, and there’s no warranty or insurance in case the stove malfunctions. Addressing some of these issues using subsidies, trials, and educational campaigns, Professor Blalock tried to increase the use of clean cook stoves. Although initially successful at getting some people to adopt this product, four years later he discovered that essentially no one was still using it. The challenge thus remains relevant and pressing, as every year millions die from respiratory diseases linked to unhealthy cooking and deforestation continues to harm the environment as more fire-wood is collected for primitive stoves.