The East African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, pg. 85-92
Despite being used in inefficient and unsustainable ways, traditional biomass remains the largest source of cooking energy
in Tanzania. Improved Cook Stoves (ICS) have been proved to be among the best ways of efficient utilization of biomass, nonetheless,
their adoption has been low. Limited empirical evidence exists on the reasons for low ICS adoption in Tanzania. This paper analyses
factors which determine household adoption of ICS in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. A total of 294 households from six villages were
randomly selected for the household survey, and qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant
interviews. Results from a binary logistic regression revealed that awareness campaigns about ICS, quality of living house and kitchen
room, awareness on the village environmental regulations and by-laws, sources of firewood and household Socio-Economic Status
(SES) to be among the factors influencing the adoption of ICS. The study concludes that low adoption is attributed to limited awareness
on the benefits of the stoves and a negative myth attached to the quality attributes of the household that can adopt ICS. The study
recommends the organization dealing with ICS promotion to continue with comprehensive awareness campaigns and targeted
intervention to households perceived to have to limit adoption characteristics.