[Stoves] Fuel and Forestry etc.

[Samer Abdelnour]

Hi Crispin,

You are absolutely correct, a value chain and combined discourse
(narrative, meme) analysis is certainly warranted. From my perspective it
is really interesting to learn of the potential implications of 'internal'
debates among stove developers, and how these relate to product
design/management/marketing. The influence of this 'community' versus
donors etc, and relationships among actors would reveal much about how
technologies and protocols emerge as prominent and others swept aside. I've
certainly looked closely at humanitarian/NGO advocacy and marketing, but
what you suggest possibly has more profound implications for the diffusion
of stove technologies and associated ideas. Studies of small-scale or rural
entrepreneurs and stove innovators would also be interesting, especially
with regards to their conceptions of the product/service they provide would
also play an important role.

You points about 'clean' and 'dirty' and other labels is interesting and
not unrelated. In my opinion, such labels can mask considerations of energy
alternatives and non-cooking causes of major problems (i.e. health,
deforestation). This is also an issue of scale - these can be attributed
more reasonably at the household level, but macro-social or environmental
claims are another story. Your point about gasifiers also resonates. As a
non-specialist (i.e. engineer, scientist) who has studied 'improved' stoves
for years now, I have come to believe that the complicated science of
fuels, energy, combustion, ratios, etc. may be simply too much for the
general public to comprehend. These mysteries heighten the important role
memes play, allowing stove benefits/costs to be divided along simple
categorizations (again, clean/dirty, etc.).

When you are ready to share I'd be keen to learn more about your team's
Indonesia work, and to explore more 'grounded' assessments of stove value
chains, and how to support more rhetorically viable (and sustainable)
markets for stoves/biomass.

Stay warm!

Samer
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