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Akintan, Oluwakemi Bolanle (2014) Socio-cultural perceptions of indoor air pollution among rural migrant households in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

Many households in developing countries rely on biomass (wood, charcoal, agricultural wastes, sawdust, and animal dung) and coal to meet their energy needs. The burning of these fuels in open fires creates environmental problems one of which is indoor air pollution (IAP). For effective reduction of indoor air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa, it is therefore, important to understand factors that determine the choice and uptake of cleaner fuels for household energy use. This research investigates the salient factors influencing households in developing countries in choosing fuel types, using the households in peri-urban areas of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria as a case study.

This research used holistic approaches to understand energy issues in the study area and used methods such as questionnaires, interviews, and field observation during data collection. Key findings suggest that underlying socio-cultural contexts of households’ ethnic groups guided wood-fuel harvesting in the peri-urban areas of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Wood fuel continues to be households’ main domestic energy source irrespective of their socio-economic status.

The open burning of wood fuel causes indoor air pollution as the recorded 24-hour particulate matter levels was between 42µg/m3 – 275µg/m3 for indoor kitchens and 48µg/m3 – 648µg/m3 for outdoor kitchens. The cultural perception of the households that natural aeration blows particulates into buildings hinders them from believing that the open of burning of biomass fuels for domestic activities is the cause of indoor air pollution. Based on the findings of this study, it is argued that the traditional norms and values of the householders, being embedded in their socio-cultural contexts, are vital for understanding energy issues in the global South.

Item Type:	Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (PhD)
Supervisors:	Endfield, G.H. Jewitt, S.L. Clifford, M.J.
Keywords:	Biomass fuels; Indoor air pollution; Socio-cultural factors; Health impacts; Clean energy interventions; Nigeria
Subjects:	H Social sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
Faculties/Schools:	UK Campuses > Faculty of Social Sciences, Law and Education > School of Geography
Item ID:	27599
Depositing User:	Akintan, Oluwakemi
Date Deposited:	26 Feb 2015 10:46
Last Modified:	13 Oct 2017 05:00
URI:	https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/27599

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