Scarlett Kao
Senior Associate, Strategy & Development
Stakeholders from across the clean cooking ecosystem have highlighted the need for a more coordinated strategy to drive greater collaboration, transparency, and ambition toward the shared goal of universal access to clean cooking by 2030.
In response to this call for action, CCA is leading the development of a Clean Cooking Systems Strategy to accelerate universal access through applying a systems approach.
The Strategy seeks to answer three important questions:
- How do we understand the clean cooking system’s current state and structure?
- How does the system need to transform to be more effective?
- How can a Strategy best serve to guide and support these transformations?
The Strategy process is using a co-creative approach to foster collective action to deliver the systems-level change needed to achieve clean cooking transitions. This systems approach helps ensure the Strategy is responsive to the evolving needs of a diverse group of stakeholders within the clean cooking ecosystem and other relevant sectors.
Defining a Systems Approach
A system is defined as a web of interconnected and interdependent parts that form a unified whole.
The Strategy has used a systems approach to explore the clean cooking ecosystem more deeply, identifying not only opportunities and challenges, but also the root causes, precursors, and potential catalysts of the dynamic relationships that link actors within the ecosystem.
The initial phase of work focused on addressing the first question above.
Before identifying ways in which the ecosystem might change, we wanted to first understand the current state of the clean cooking system – the actors involved, how they relate and the systemic challenges that hinder progress. To this end, we conducted in-depth interviews with over 75 stakeholders both inside and external to the clean cooking system. Knowing we couldn’t speak to everyone, we tried to engage a broad range of stakeholders, including enterprises, donors, national governments, research institutions, NGOs and market enablers. We also spoke to actors from adjacent sectors (e.g. global health, food & nutrition), as well as systems thinkers, adding further vantage points from which to understand the clean cooking ecosystem.
The second phase of work brought together stakeholders to explore and define ways in which the ecosystem can transform, and to prioritize the types of transformations needed to achieve universal access.
Through this process we developed and tested the Systems Strategy Framework and have articulated an emerging set of Initiatives to support longer-term transformation.
As part of this consultative process, we have engaged with a diverse set of stakeholders through numerous platforms, including longform interviews, workshops, webinars, and more:
- 100+ discussions conducted to date with enterprises, multilateral institutions, development banks, nonprofit organizations, industry associations, academics, policymakers and sector experts
- 170 attendees reached from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors across 2 webinars to date
- Solicited input via a public survey and email to gather stakeholder feedback
The third and final phase of work involves co-creating, actioning, and launching a number of these Initiatives with partners across the clean cooking ecosystem.
We will develop prototypes and pilot projects in a “learn by doing” approach to rapidly learn, build and iterate on Initiatives in real time alongside stakeholders. Through this ongoing process, we are also actively building partnerships with potential funders and co-implementers to bring these Initiatives to life.
Phases of the Strategy process
Phase 1: Exploration of the current state of the ecosystem
In-depth stakeholder engagement to better understand systemic challenges and opportunities within the clean cooking system
Synthesis of user research and insights into strategy outputs to be shared with and used by the broader ecosystem
Phase 2: Articulation of the future state
Stakeholder consultations and workshops to explore and define the future state
Identification of critical transformations to help the ecosystem achieve universal access to clean cooking
Phase 3: Initial implementation of Strategy
Extensive testing and iteration of the Strategy and supporting calls to action to help implement high priority transformations
Dissemination of initial roadmaps to broader ecosystem to facilitate implementation of Strategy
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