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A roundup of who said what, when, about the “raging” debate on the efficacy of clean cookstoves.

“Cheap, disposable, utilitarian appliances.” And, “not enough fuel savings to justify the expense of a clean cookstove.” These are just some of the findings in an new study out by Ideo.org on the cooking habits of Tanzanians.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in some parts of Africa woodfuels account for almost 90 per cent of primary energy consumption.

Scientists believe that deforestation across the Horn of Africa, particularly for firewood harvest, has been a major contributor to the pervasive drought in the region.

In order to solicit input from stakeholders worldwide on proposed clean cookstove standards, PCIA is hosting three standard setting webinars, the first of which was held today.

Please consider participating in one of the upcoming webinars to learn more about the the voluntary, interim cookstove “Tiers of Performance” that we (PCIA) plan to finalize through the International Workshop Agreement.

We received the following notification from our friends at Legacy Foundation and are happy to pass it along.

“Legacy Foundation is happy to announce the publication and availability of three new biomass briquette supporting manuals.”

“To achieve the objective of the large scale dissemination of effective biomass equipment, the improved cookstoves (and biomass fuel) supply chain actors need a strong network, professionalization of services and follow-up.” — Geres Survey

In the latest issue of its bulletin, the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air focuses on the fuel side of the improved cookstove equation with an in depth discussion on charcoal and briquettes.

It provides examples of the use of briquettes as a sustainable alternative to charcoal in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and provides insight into the future of charcoal stoves with inputs from leading stove testers and developers.

The bulletin also looks at the issue of sustainable charcoal production, and new research and development towards more efficient production methods and sustainable charcoal initiatives.

We’d like to thank PCIA Partner Jean Kim Chaix, Director of The Charcoal Project, who served as our guest editor for this edition and provided support and guidance on Bulletin 29’s overall content.

A recent paper calls for immediate policy intervention around the Congo’s woodfuel demand.

Published in Cifor’s brief, it says, “The Congolese government needs to immediately improve management of the sector, in collaboration with stakeholders. The national Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) programme creates momentum for this.”