**5. Adoption of biomass cookstoves**

On one side, the design and development of biomass cookstoves is being done by the researchers in research laboratories but on the other side, dissemination of these cookstoves to the end users is a very important task. For successful dissemination and adoption of a cookstove, it must be locally manufactured, easy to operate, durable and it must result in clean combustion [42].

Bielecki & Wingenbach [43] reported that adoption of improved cookstoves depends on three factors *viz*. social, functional, and cultural. The social factor includes family size and meal occasion; functional factor includes ability of improved cookstove to provide space heat and ambient light, and the cultural factor includes local norms and traditional foods.

Adane et al. [44] categorized the factors affecting adoption of biomass cookstoves into four types: (i) household and setting related factors, (ii) cookstove technology related factors, (iii) cookstove users' knowledge and perception related factors, and (iv) financial and market development related factors. Household and setting related factors include: gender of the household head, educational level of the household head, family size of the household, house ownership, location of cooking quarter, and source of fuel. Cookstove technology related factors include: fuel processing requirement, durability of cookstove, fuel saving benefit of cookstove, health benefit of cookstove, time saving benefit of cookstove and safety benefit of improved cookstove. Cookstove users' knowledge and perception related factors include: optimistic previous social interaction, traditional suitability of cookstove and live demonstration experience. Financial and market development related factors include price and availability of the cookstove.

Nzengya et al. [45] reported that cost of cookstove, availability of cookstove, cost of fuel, availability of fuel, design of cookstove, time required for starting the cookstove, and time required for cooking the food are the factors affecting adoption of a biomass cookstove.

According to Jan [46], following factors act as key barriers to the adoption of improved cook stoves: lack of education of the women, non-participation of women in household decision making processes, low family income, lack of knowledge of health and environmental impacts associated with inefficient use of biomass, insufficient funds allocated by governments and NGOs for such programs, and poor monitoring system for the long-term cookstove use.

Jauland et al. [47] reported the evidence of saving in cooking time and fuel saving in the households which started using improved cookstoves. The authors did not find any evidence of health benefits in these households.

Jana and Bhattacharya [48] reported sustainable cooking energy options for rural people in Bargaon block of Odisha, India. Assessment of different cooking options such as traditional biomass cookstoves, improved cookstoves, gasifier cookstoves, biogas cookstove, LPG cookstove, electric cookstove and kerosene cookstove was conducted in terms of levelized cost of each cooking device per unit of useful cooking energy. While calculating the levelized cost of cookstove, the factors such as its capital cost, maintenance cost, estimated life, efficiency, cost of fuel, interest rate and energy equivalent per unit of energy source were considered. The levelized costs of different cooking devices per MJ without subsidy were: 1.3- traditional cookstove, 0.87-improved cookstove, 3.49-briquette gasifier cookstove, 2.72-kerosene cookstove (1.06 with subsidy), 1.88-LPG cookstove (1.33 with subsidy), 2.49-electric heater and 1.92-biogas cookstove (1.65 with subsidy). The authors found that the cookstoves using kerosene, LPG, briquettes, electricity and biogas were beyond reach of the poor people due to their high levelized costs though they could become cleaner cooking options for traditional and improved cookstoves.
