SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATION OF COOKING ENERGY TYPES AND PREFERENCE ON RURAL AND URBAN DWELLERS IN KARU LGA OF NASARAWA STATE

Abstract

Over dependence on firewood, agricultural residues and charcoal by low-income households in developing countries pose severe risks to human health, environmental sustainability and socio-economic development. Hence, this examines the socio-economic implication of cooking energy types and preference on rural and urban dwellers in Karu Local Government Area. A sample size of 400 was used for this study. Stratified, systematic and simple random sampling techniques were used in data collection. Frequency, percentages and Pearson product moment correlation analysis were used to analyse the date. The study revealed that sources of cooking energy available to households in the study area were firewood charcoal, and crop residue, for rural communities while in urban communities, it was Gas/LPG, charcoal, and electricity. The result shows a significant variation between cooking energy types used by rural and urban dwellers (F=2.285, df=0.005, P=0.026). The study concludes that firewood dominates the rural households' cooking energy preference while Gas/LPG dominates the urban households cooking energy preference. The findings underscore the critical role of socio-economic factors in determining cooking energy preferences in both rural and urban households in the study area. Stakeholders should focus on encouraging the transition to more sustainable energy solutions; this will require targeted interventions, including subsidies, infrastructure development, and educational campaigns to raise awareness about the benefits of cleaner cooking technologies.