In The Gambia and Senegal cooking is traditionally wood or charcoal in a closed kitchen, on stoves, which are both inefficient and rely on either the purchase or collection of firewood. For the Gambians, the trade off is either a cost of up to one fifth of a weekly income to purchase firewood or charcoal, against collection, which can involve a daily trek of up to 12 kilometres to find suitable wood to burn. Both of these solutions are heavy in demand upon the women of the villages.
The stove was developed by REAP (Resource Efficient Agricultural Production in Canada) and local artisans in the Philippines in 2001. Following a successful pilot project of 50 stoves in 2004, TICOS signed a 3 year agreement with REAP to provide some 500 stoves annually to communities in The Gambia and Senegal, as part of a wider programme to introduce and promote sustainable agricultural practices in rural villages; the new stove project is proving hugely popular.
For The Gambia, the stoves have been adapted to burn agricultural by-products of rice husk and groundnut shells and as these are freely available, many villages are now becoming 'wood free' in their cooking. In addition to the savings in cost and time, health improvements are also being reported and monitored as the Mayan stoves can be used in the open air and are virtually smoke free.
Benefits:
- Reduce the use of fuel wood for household cooking
- Reduce pressure on the Gambian forests by slowing deforestation
- Reduce people's reliance on scarce and costly fuels
- Reduce methane emissions from crop milling residues by utilising peanut shells, millet husk and rice hull as fuel i.e. putting waste products to good use
- Health benefits
