Nairobi, Kenya (Xinhua) – July 9, 2010
A recent report compiled by the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey reveals that a staggering 76.4 percent of households in the country’s rural population, rely predominantly on firewood and charcoal for cooking and heating the homes.
These households still cook using the traditional three-stone open fire hearths, which require huge loads of fire woods to function.
Apart from the wanton destruction of the forest cover, these energy sources also contribute significant pollutants harmful to the environment.
Alarmed by the building up disaster, the Kenyan government and some stakeholders have embarked on a project to mitigate the challenge.
The project, named Promotion of Private Sector Development in Agriculture (PSDA), is designed to disseminate energy saving technologies, geared to improve rural livelihoods.
Speaking to Xinhua in a recent interview on the measures the government has embarked on, Nancy Nguru, the project’s cluster manager for Central Kenya, explained that the core objective is to provide environmental-friendly technologies to improve cooking facilities, reduce fuel intake and pollution.
The first step will be the provision of user friendly technologies to develop energy saving stoves (jikos) for use in ordinary households, hotels and institutions.
The project, she told Xinhua, will be implemented by empowering people in the communities with knowledge, technology and skills on energy saving stoves making process. (Read more)
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If you could get a chance at selling a charcoal project, what would be the typical government agency to promote such a project?
Dear Dad,
At this stage the typical agency is USAID and GTZ of Germany. There are a host of other NGOs supporting stove projects around the world, including a number of relief agencies. There are also a handful of projects being financed by firms selling carbon offsets, but nothing really signficant in scale.
But there is no coordinating agency at a global level that I know of. And that’s a vacuum we’d like to see filled!
Kim
Why not just go the private sector way? Govt. involvment should be limited to the licensing and regulations of an energy product vis-a-vis the oil industry.
When the wood energy sector is proven to be a viable ecnomic activity im pretty sure alot more trees will be planted.
Also thats a very funny picture of a jiko, its a bit worn…if you would like to see more please visit us at http://www.reskqu.blogspot.com
T. Kinyanjui
This project has been submitted to KENINVEST for appraisal. Unido has been contacted in that a pilot project may be offered for Central Kenya in co 0peration with Murewa Firebricks.
Would your association come in to assist in this project.
J.M.MACHARIA
Its a good idea. Funded, I would with my team, teach Kenyans on how to make briquettes that are made from waste materials to replace charcoal and wood usage as source of energy for the common mwananchi.
I went through a training that was carried out by the University of Nairobi, Jua Kali artisans, Amref and Terra Nuova(an italian organisation) where I was awarded acertificate, it was a one and half years training.
This is a good observation but there is a need for concerted effort on promotion and marketing while ensuring quality and standards are adhered to.
It very obvious that we have lost alot of forest cover in energy consumption as fire wood in our three cooking stones the most common in East Africa’s rural areas and charcoal but still we need food that is cooked so what should be done is using them sustainably and how to use them sustainably, by encouraging energy saving stoves and use of charcoal briquettes in those very stoves as well as encouraging people to plant trees. this will reduce on deforestation, green house gases as vegetation act as sinks as well as reducing on the world phenomenon of climate change.
Big up to the Charcoal project I wish it gets to Uganda too and Pray hard for it to be sustainable for the betterment of our world and future at large.
Mbihayeimaana Joseph an environmental activist Kampala, Uganda (Bach. of Env’t Sc.Tech.Magt from Kyambogo University)
i have a registered CBO(community based organization) in Kenya. we deal in promoting the use of briquettes and energy saving stoves hence less cutting of trees, i have identified 50 women groups and i want to train them on the same.i need a sponsor
regards
benard
where can i get big energy saving jikos for use by institutions. One enough for about 400 people,s food prepared at once?
Phone number and email address.
This is really wonderful means about environmental conservation.