Implementation process evaluation of an improved cookstove program in rural San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Abstract The government of San Luis Potosi (SLP) in Mexico implemented the Ecological Cookstove Program (ECSP) during the period 2010–15, subsidizing over 60,000 improved cookstoves with the goal of addressing poverty in rural communities where people cook with fuelwood in open fires. As part of the comprehensive summative program evaluation conducted during 2014–2016, we assessed the implementation processes analyzing the regulations governing the program and contrasting them with the opinion of the officials and users involved in the program. The evaluation of the operation processes of the program was conducted using three qualitative techniques: documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, and in depth interviews of stakeholders (government officials and beneficiaries). The processes of social marketing, selection of beneficiaries and follow up were identified as the critical nodes for the successful implementation of the program. There was no document detailing the overall process and this was reflected in a lack of standardization in the execution of each step of the process. This type of programs should go beyond a change in technology, i.e., they need to consider the state's social, cultural, and economic factors, and their difference among the different regions of the state. In summary, the evaluation presents eight recommended actions which should be considered during the design and implementation phases of these type of programs.