Factors influencing low-income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in Northwestern and Lusaka Province, Zambia
A study analyzed data from 324 households in Zambia from Lusaka and Northwestern provinces to understand factors influencing the shift from traditional fuels like firewood and traditional charcoal to alternative energy sources. In rural areas of Northwestern Province, the education level of the hous...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Trees, Forests and People |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325001025 |
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| author | Chilombo Mulima Amekawa Yuichiro Girma Gezimu Gebre Stefan Sieber |
| author_facet | Chilombo Mulima Amekawa Yuichiro Girma Gezimu Gebre Stefan Sieber |
| author_sort | Chilombo Mulima |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A study analyzed data from 324 households in Zambia from Lusaka and Northwestern provinces to understand factors influencing the shift from traditional fuels like firewood and traditional charcoal to alternative energy sources. In rural areas of Northwestern Province, the education level of the household head and cooking duration significantly impacted energy choices. Conversely, in urban areas of Lusaka Province, wealthier and more educated households showed a higher propensity to adopt cleaner cooking fuels. However, despite higher income levels and access to grid electricity, many urban households in Lusaka continued using traditional charcoal. Beyond income, factors such as load shedding and cooking time considerations also influenced energy decisions. The study recommends promoting diverse cooking energy options—such as solar energy, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and briquettes or pellets—especially in urban areas with higher incomes, to serve as backups during electricity crises or complement fuelwood. Additionally, it emphasizes considering location-specific factors when advocating for these alternatives. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a09a068facb94ca6b74860ea6bd4c221 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2666-7193 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Trees, Forests and People |
| spelling | doaj-art-a09a068facb94ca6b74860ea6bd4c2212025-08-20T02:26:09ZengElsevierTrees, Forests and People2666-71932025-06-012010087610.1016/j.tfp.2025.100876Factors influencing low-income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in Northwestern and Lusaka Province, ZambiaChilombo Mulima0Amekawa Yuichiro1Girma Gezimu Gebre2Stefan Sieber3Economist, Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Lusaka, ZambiaCollege of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, JapanAlexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Sustainable Land Use in Developing Countries (SusLAND), Müncheberg, Germany; Department of Agribusiness and Value Chain Management, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, Ethiopia; Corresponding author at: Department of Agribusiness and Value Chain Management, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, Ethiopia.Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Sustainable Land Use in Developing Countries (SusLAND), Müncheberg, Germany; Faculty of Life Science, Thaer-Institute of Agriculture and Horticultural Sciences, Department of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyA study analyzed data from 324 households in Zambia from Lusaka and Northwestern provinces to understand factors influencing the shift from traditional fuels like firewood and traditional charcoal to alternative energy sources. In rural areas of Northwestern Province, the education level of the household head and cooking duration significantly impacted energy choices. Conversely, in urban areas of Lusaka Province, wealthier and more educated households showed a higher propensity to adopt cleaner cooking fuels. However, despite higher income levels and access to grid electricity, many urban households in Lusaka continued using traditional charcoal. Beyond income, factors such as load shedding and cooking time considerations also influenced energy decisions. The study recommends promoting diverse cooking energy options—such as solar energy, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and briquettes or pellets—especially in urban areas with higher incomes, to serve as backups during electricity crises or complement fuelwood. Additionally, it emphasizes considering location-specific factors when advocating for these alternatives.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325001025Alternative energyCharcoalHouseholdMultinomial logitRuralUrban |
| spellingShingle | Chilombo Mulima Amekawa Yuichiro Girma Gezimu Gebre Stefan Sieber Factors influencing low-income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in Northwestern and Lusaka Province, Zambia Trees, Forests and People Alternative energy Charcoal Household Multinomial logit Rural Urban |
| title | Factors influencing low-income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in Northwestern and Lusaka Province, Zambia |
| title_full | Factors influencing low-income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in Northwestern and Lusaka Province, Zambia |
| title_fullStr | Factors influencing low-income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in Northwestern and Lusaka Province, Zambia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors influencing low-income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in Northwestern and Lusaka Province, Zambia |
| title_short | Factors influencing low-income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in Northwestern and Lusaka Province, Zambia |
| title_sort | factors influencing low income households in substituting traditional charcoal with alternative energy sources for cooking in northwestern and lusaka province zambia |
| topic | Alternative energy Charcoal Household Multinomial logit Rural Urban |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325001025 |
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