local: The developing world and household stoves Flashcards
aims
2.6 billion people still burn wood and charcoal to cook their meals and heat their water, despite the significant health risks and fire hazards they pose. Most of these people live in sub-Saharan Africa and poorer parts of Asia including India and Bangladesh. According to the WHO, chronic exposure to smoke is one of the world’s biggest killers and causes more than 4 million premature deaths a year – more than malaria. The aim is to encourage those in developing countries to start using more efficient cooking stoves.
achieved?
Simple ceramic cooking stoves that can be used instead of open fires. These use less fuel and so they save people money and time (especially in urban areas where wood and charcoal are expensive).
If the stoves are still too expensive, locals can buy insulated bags such as the Wonderbag. A pot of food is heated on a traditional stove and then placed in the bag where it continues to cook in its own heat for a period of an hour or more; thus, reducing the fuel needed and the time spent inhaling toxic fumes.
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The stoves are cleaner and less smoky than open fires and most stoves are made and sold by small businesses. Millions of these stoves have already been sold worldwide. Some experts believe that providing low-cost, efficient stoves is more sustainable than funding for free stoves through aid programmes. Why? Because local businesses providing the stoves can earn a decent income, and pay more taxes, which in turn improves the development of the area; also, aid money is limited and soon runs out, but commercially viable systems are self-supporting. In addition, people are more likely to use something they have chosen to buy than a stove that was given to them by a charity.
However, it can be difficult to persuade people to switch to using something new. In Sri Lanka, Kenya and Bangladesh the introduction of improved stoves has been a success. It is estimated that stove production has reaches around 120,000 a year. Since it is the women who tend to cook in the developing countries, it has been women who have helped to make the stoves which has also improved their status in the community and financial independence from their husbands.
