The determinants of household cooking fuel transition: evidence from rural India

The study aims to identify the determinants of the transition of rural households from dirty to mixed fuels instead of clean fuels as energy sources in India. Cleaner energy choices are critical to sustainable economic development, improved public health, and addressing environmental concerns, especially among rural households. Understanding the key factors that lead to the transition from dirty to mixed fuel instead of clean fuel is imperative for policymakers to promote cleaner energy choices in rural areas. To aid this understanding, the current study uses a balanced panel constructed from the data of the Indian Human Development Survey for the years 2005 and 2012. A fuel choice transition matrix is then constructed to analyze the energy transition at the household level. Finally, the multinomial logit model is employed to reveal the key factors that affect the change in energy usage among households using dirty fuels in 2005 to their status in 2012-persistent use of dirty fuel, shift to mixed fuels, or adoption of clean fuels. The findings confirm that apart from income, the level of education and gender of household heads play a vital role in the transition of energy sources. This research emphasizes the need for targeted policies addressing the diverse socio-economic and educational barriers obstructing the shift to cleaner fuels in rural areas.