The cost of cooking for rural communities has a heavy burden on the environment and on the health of women and children who are most at risk from the toxic smoke and fumes caused by the open fires, so the invention of a biomass burning stove that uses a fraction of the wood normally used to cook a family meal and that reduces smoke emissions by up to 70% is being hailed as a miracle solution.

This stove uses 50% less wood or charcoal than what is usually required. It only takes three small 30 centimetres pieces of wood – compared to 10 pieces of wood on an open fire – to cook 1.5kg of pap or a 1kg rice and in half the time.

The stove also retains its heat for hours afterwards. Feedback received from a mother in rural Kwazulu-Natal said when she had finished making dinner, she would put a pot of water on the stove. In the morning, the water in the pot was still hot and she used it to wash her children before school.

In South Africa alone, the scale of people using wood or charcoal or coal on a daily basis is immense (at least 2 million households), and this is increasing as electricity, paraffin and LPG prices continue to rise. The problems of air pollution, rising energy costs etc. become even more of a burden in the winter. The impact that this product can have on poor households in rural and urban areas is enormous and there is a lot of interest from farmers buying stoves for their farm workers as well as outdoor enthusiasts who like to cook over an open fire.

The stove is made of ceramic and sheet metal; is very quick to set up. The top is made of cast iron and supports a pot, a pan, a kettle or even a flat-bottomed potjie. It was designed by Dr. Dean Still of the Aprovecho Research Centre in United States and has already been awarded the prestigious Ashden Energy Champion Award in 2009. The stove is available from Restio Energy, a renewable energy consulting company that has been involved with rural and alternative energy solutions for the past 10 years, focusing specifically on Southern Africa. Contact francois@restio.co.za for more information.