Articles

Fuel efficient stoves

Fuel efficient stoves provide a practical alternative to traditional cooking methods

2010 Available in French, English, Portuguese and Spanish

Tourists using the Mida Creek hanging walkway, which was built to raise funds for sending children to secondary school and to communicate a strong commitment to conservation. Photo: Colin Jackson

From: Natural resources – Footsteps 82

How to look after the precious natural resources on which we all depend

Fuel efficient clay stove promoted by Emmanuel International. The pot sits on the top of the clay stove and the fire sits inside. Photo: Emmanuel International

Deforestation is a major problem in Malawi because wood and charcoal are the main sources of fuel for cooking. Fuel efficient stoves provide a practical alternative to traditional cooking methods.

Fuel efficient stoves have many benefits. Households that use them:

spend less money on firewood
spend less time finding firewood
protect their health by producing less cooking smoke
help prevent deforestation
protect natural resources
protect habitats of plants and animals.

There are many designs of fuel efficient stoves. The clay stove pictured below directs the heat to the pot, resulting in faster cooking. Stoves can be made entirely with local resources and are cheap to produce.

Fuelless cookers can be used to further reduce the use of firewood. Just cook a pot of rice for five minutes or a pot of beans for 20 minutes on a clay stove, then place the hot pot inside a basket insulated with shredded banana leaves or straw until the rice or beans have finished cooking.

Andre Van Woerden works for Emmanuel International, an organisation which makes and promotes fuel efficient clay stoves in Malawi.

Email: [email protected]

EDITOR’S NOTE The article ‘Cooking without fuel’ in Footsteps 16 shows how to make your own fuelless cooker.