Exploring the Intersection of eCooking, Health, and Economic Development: Women’s perspective
Tue, 23 Apr
|Teams
Time & Location
23 Apr 2024, 11:00 – 12:30
Teams
About the event
Kenya faces a significant challenge when it comes to of clean cooking. A startling 81% of the population still relies on polluting fuels for cooking, such as firewood (65%), charcoal (10%), and kerosene (6%) (Government of Kenya, 2019), presenting several kinds of associated development challenges. Biomass fuels significantly contribute to Household Air Pollution (HAP) and are a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for about 26.5% of Kenya's total emissions. The Ministry of Health linked indoor air pollution to 21,500 premature deaths per year (Government of Kenya, 2019).
Women and girls are disproportionately affected, with increased exposure to cooking smoke and the burden of fuel collection, resulting in lost educational and economic possibilities. The government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have strongly endorsed Improved Cookstoves (ICS) as a solution to the clean cooking dilemma. However, gaining long-term acceptance has been difficult, since many users refuse the cookstoves shortly after receiving them (Government of Kenya, 2019). Furthermore, current research show that the health benefits of ICS are not as great as previously thought (Government of Kenya, 2019).
In light of the environmental, social, economic and health impacts of traditional cooking practices, there is need for a paradigm shift towards modern clean cooking solutions. Aside from LPG, Bioethanol which are cleaner than biomass, electric cooking also presents a potentially transformative opportunity for Kenya’s clean cooking sector.
In recent years, the intersection of eCooking, health, and economic development has inspired widespread interest and the potential for transformational change. This dialogue aims to emphasize the interconnections and potential that eCooking, health, and economic developments present for improving the well-being of individuals while addressing the issue of climate change from the perspective of women.