Firewood, Forests, and Fringe Populations: Exploring the Inequitable Socioeconomic Dimensions of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) Adoption in India

Khanwilkar, Sarika; Gould, Carlos F.; DeFries, Ruth; Habib, Bilal; Urpelainen, Johannes

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3798102

Cited by 1 publication

(4 citation statements)

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“…Each of these alternatives potentially creates other problems and displaces environmental impacts. LPG, although increasingly adopted in the study region (Khanwilkar et al, 2021 ), is expensive for households, and cylinders require refilling. Moreover, nationally, natural gas requires dependence on imports and prices are subject to market fluctuations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adoption has been uneven, likely due to the cost of refills, free availability of biomass, and cultural preferences. In the study region, households adopting LPG since 2016 are poorer, closer to forests, and less formally educated than prior to 2016, indicating the success of the program, although nearly all households continue to collect fuelwood (see section on household surveys; Khanwilkar et al, 2021).…”

Section: Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Using a remotely sensed measure of degradation, 5000 household survey about forest use, and multiple statistical analyses, we address the question: "Do improved living standards (alternative energy and durable housing) reduce forest degradation around villages in the study region?". This question is relevant to identify possible synergies between development interventions to improve living standards-such as the Ujjwala scheme launched in 2016 to provide poor households with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking (Khanwilkar et al, 2021 ) and government schemes to finance durable housing for poor households (Bharti, 2019)-and global forest restoration efforts. At a national level, the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) aims to increase tree cover on 5 million hectares and improve tree cover on an additional 5 million hectares (Government of India, n.d.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This question is relevant to identify possible synergies between development interventions to improve living standards—such as the Ujjwala scheme launched in 2016 to provide poor households with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking (Khanwilkar et al, 2021 ) and government schemes to finance durable housing for poor households (Bharti, 2019 )—and global forest restoration efforts. At a national level, the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) aims to increase tree cover on 5 million hectares and improve tree cover on an additional 5 million hectares ( Government of India , n.d.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improved household living standards can restore dry tropical forests

et al. 2021

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Despite multiple approaches over the last several decades to harmonize conservation and development goals in the tropics, forest-dependent households remain the poorest in the world. Durable housing and alternatives to fuelwood for cooking are critical needs to reduce multi-dimensional poverty. These improvements also potentially reduce pressure on forests and alleviate forest degradation. We test this possibility in dry tropical forests of the Central Indian Highlands where tribal and other marginalized populations rely on forests for energy, construction materials, and other livelihood needs. Based on a remotely sensed measure of forest degradation and a 5000 household survey of forest use, we use machine learning (causal forests) and other statistical methods to quantify treatment effects of two improved living standards-alternatives to fuelwood for cooking and non-forest-based housing material-on forest degradation in 1, 2, and 5 km buffers around 500 villages. Both improved living standards had significant treatment effects (−0.030 ± 0.078, −0.030 ± 0.023, 95% CI), respectively, with negative values indicating less forest degradation, within 1 km buffers around villages. Treatment effects were lower with increasing distance from villages. Results suggest that improved living standards can both reduce forest degradation and alleviate poverty. Forest restoration efforts can target improved living standards for local communities without conflicts over land tenure or taking land out of production to plant trees.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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