Journal of Natural Science Research and Review (JNSRR) · Research article · Open access
Socioeconomic and Cultural Determinants of Biomass Briquette Adoption in Voi Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, Kenya
Victor Slivo Lole, Patrick Kimaku, Caroline Doa
6 March 2026 · Vol. 2, Issue 3, pp. 108-116
DOI: 10.65150/EP-jnsrr/V2E3/2026-01
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What is this article about?
Background: Approximately 600 million Africans cook using traditional and polluting biomass energy, which poses several health and environmental risks. Objective: This study examined the influence of awareness, affordability, accessibility, and cultural cooking norms on adoption of a cleaner and sustainable biomass briquette cooking energy.
Article at a glance
- Published
- 6 March 2026
- Volume / issue / pages
- Vol. 2, Issue 3, pp. 108-116
- ISSN
- 3051-3766 (online) · 3051-3758 (print)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 — free to read and reuse with attribution
- Peer review
- Double-blind, at least two independent reviewers
- Publisher
- EP Journals Group
Abstract
Background: Approximately 600 million Africans cook using traditional and polluting biomass energy, which poses several health and environmental risks. Objective: This study examined the influence of awareness, affordability, accessibility, and cultural cooking norms on adoption of a cleaner and sustainable biomass briquette cooking energy. Methodology: A total of 402 households were surveyed through a questionnaire in a cross-sectional study that yielded a 90.3% response rate. Results: In the descriptive analysis, low level of adoption (Mean = 2.08; SD = 0.29) was recorded through a 5-point Likert scale on a total of (24) items. For the predictor variables each containing (8) items, awareness (M=2.70, SD=0.37), affordability (M=2.60, SD=0.37) and accessibility (M=2.62, SD=0.36) of biomass briquette energy scored below the mid-point while cultural cooking norms scored above the mid-point (M=3.51, SD=0.51). The regression model showed statistical significance F (4, 362) = 142.745, p < .001 and explained 61.5% of the variance in adoption (R² = 0.615). Discussion: The most powerful predictor of adoption was awareness (β = 0.401, p < 0.001), followed by accessibility (β = 0.366, p < 0.001), and affordability (β = 0.200, p < 0.001). Cultural cooking norms (β = –0.193, p < .001) acted as a barrier to adoption. Conclusions: Adoption of biomass briquette energy in Voi is determined by awareness, accessibility and affordability of the fuel, while traditional cooking norms hinder adoption. Recommendations: To boost adoption, efforts should focus on marketing campaigns, strengthening of local supply chains, introduction of producer and consumer subsidies, and extensive demonstration programs.
Keywords: biomass briquettes, clean cooking energy, sustainability, energy poverty, renewable energy
Cite this article
Victor Slivo Lole, Patrick Kimaku, & Caroline Doa (2026). Socioeconomic and Cultural Determinants of Biomass Briquette Adoption in Voi Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, Kenya. Journal of Natural Science Research and Review, 2(3), 108-116. https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jnsrr/V2E3/2026-01
@article{Victor2026,
title = {Socioeconomic and Cultural Determinants of Biomass Briquette Adoption in Voi Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, Kenya},
author = {Victor Slivo Lole and Patrick Kimaku and Caroline Doa},
journal = {Journal of Natural Science Research and Review},
year = {2026},
volume = {2},
number = {3},
pages = {108-116},
doi = {10.65150/EP-jnsrr/V2E3/2026-01},
url = {https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jnsrr/V2E3/2026-01}
}Questions about this article
Who wrote this article?
Victor Slivo Lole, Patrick Kimaku, Caroline Doa.
Where and when was it published?
In Journal of Natural Science Research and Review, Volume 2, Issue 3, pages 108-116, published by EP Journals Group on 6 March 2026.
Is this article free to read?
Yes. It is open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) licence, so anyone can read, share and reuse it with attribution.
What is the DOI of this article?
10.65150/EP-jnsrr/V2E3/2026-01 (https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jnsrr/V2E3/2026-01).
How do I cite this article?
APA: Victor Slivo Lole, Patrick Kimaku, & Caroline Doa (2026). Socioeconomic and Cultural Determinants of Biomass Briquette Adoption in Voi Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, Kenya. Journal of Natural Science Research and Review, 2(3), 108-116. https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jnsrr/V2E3/2026-01
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