Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi

We analyse the adoption of an Integrated Food-Energy System (IFES) in southern Malawi. The IFES combined the improved cookstove (chitetezo mbaula in Chichewa), designed to reduce demand for fuelwood, with the pigeonpea variety Mthawajuni, which increased both food supply and supply of fuelwood from...

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Main Authors: Orr, Alistair, Kambombo, Blessings, Roth, Christopher, Harris, Dave, Doyle, Vincent
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Cambridge University Press 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/170916
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author Orr, Alistair
Kambombo, Blessings
Roth, Christopher
Harris, Dave
Doyle, Vincent
author_browse Doyle, Vincent
Harris, Dave
Kambombo, Blessings
Orr, Alistair
Roth, Christopher
author_facet Orr, Alistair
Kambombo, Blessings
Roth, Christopher
Harris, Dave
Doyle, Vincent
author_sort Orr, Alistair
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description We analyse the adoption of an Integrated Food-Energy System (IFES) in southern Malawi. The IFES combined the improved cookstove (chitetezo mbaula in Chichewa), designed to reduce demand for fuelwood, with the pigeonpea variety Mthawajuni, which increased both food supply and supply of fuelwood from pigeonpea stems. Adoption of the improved cookstove was found to be higher among households that were better off and where women had greater control over decision-making. However, adoption of the IFES was not associated with reduced demand for fuelwood from forests and hills or reduced frequency of collection. IFES adopters might have high fuelwood consumption because they were better off, but fuelwood consumption in better-off households did not differ significantly between IFES adopters and non-adopters. Pigeonpea increased food supply for adopter households, including children aged less than five years. Consequently, the IFES has had mixed results, improving food supply but not reducing demand for fuelwood. Households ranked early maturity, fuelwood and yield as the three most important reasons for preferring Mthawajuni over other varieties of pigeonpea. The plant breeding programme for pigeonpea in Malawi should evaluate improved varieties not only for earliness and grain yield but also for the production of fuelwood. Improved varieties with desirable market traits have had limited success in the absence of reliable markets and price incentives.
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spelling CGSpace1709162025-02-19T14:36:32Z Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi Orr, Alistair Kambombo, Blessings Roth, Christopher Harris, Dave Doyle, Vincent energy pigeon peas stoves We analyse the adoption of an Integrated Food-Energy System (IFES) in southern Malawi. The IFES combined the improved cookstove (chitetezo mbaula in Chichewa), designed to reduce demand for fuelwood, with the pigeonpea variety Mthawajuni, which increased both food supply and supply of fuelwood from pigeonpea stems. Adoption of the improved cookstove was found to be higher among households that were better off and where women had greater control over decision-making. However, adoption of the IFES was not associated with reduced demand for fuelwood from forests and hills or reduced frequency of collection. IFES adopters might have high fuelwood consumption because they were better off, but fuelwood consumption in better-off households did not differ significantly between IFES adopters and non-adopters. Pigeonpea increased food supply for adopter households, including children aged less than five years. Consequently, the IFES has had mixed results, improving food supply but not reducing demand for fuelwood. Households ranked early maturity, fuelwood and yield as the three most important reasons for preferring Mthawajuni over other varieties of pigeonpea. The plant breeding programme for pigeonpea in Malawi should evaluate improved varieties not only for earliness and grain yield but also for the production of fuelwood. Improved varieties with desirable market traits have had limited success in the absence of reliable markets and price incentives. 2015-04 2025-01-29T12:57:28Z 2025-01-29T12:57:28Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/170916 en Limited Access Cambridge University Press Orr, A. A, Kambombo, B., Roth, C, Harris, D, and Doyle, V (2014). Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi. Experimental Agriculture 51(2): 191 - 209. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479714000222
spellingShingle energy
pigeon peas
stoves
Orr, Alistair
Kambombo, Blessings
Roth, Christopher
Harris, Dave
Doyle, Vincent
Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi
title Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi
title_full Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi
title_fullStr Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi
title_full_unstemmed Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi
title_short Adoption of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves and Pigeonpea in Southern Malawi
title_sort adoption of integrated food energy systems improved cookstoves and pigeonpea in southern malawi
topic energy
pigeon peas
stoves
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/170916
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