Considering the Qualitative Impacts of Safe-Stove Programs: Lessons from the Western Highlands of Guatemala

Abstract

In 2016, 2.6 million people died prematurely from indoor air pollution as a result of the inefficient burning of biomass fuels for cooking and energy in the global south. The health and environmental impacts of indoor air pollution have been well documented throughout decades of literature, and governments and non-governmental organizations alike have taken steps to implement “safe stove” programs to upgrade cookstoves in developing regions and begin to address these issues. While largely effective in reducing indoor air pollution and improving energy efficiency, the qualitative impacts of implementing safe stove programs have not yet been explored. This article aims to fill a gap in this literature by investigating why safe stoves are important to the women who participate in the projects, and what the qualitative impacts of combatting indoor air pollution are for communities as a whole. The research draws on in-depth interviews with women from the rural highlands of Guatemala in the Quetzaltenango region, and addresses topics such as dignity and self-esteem within these populations. Not intended to be a binding pieced of literature, this research serves as a good reminder that the focus of development initiatives should always be on improving the overall wellbeing of the participants who purportedly benefit from these projects.