Efficient cookstoves
for Rwanda
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION BY
REDUCING WOOD CONSUMPTION IN THE
NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
The Nyungwe Rainforest Cookstove project is fighting deforestation in the project region.
This saves around 8,500 tons of carbon emissions every year.
PROJECT FACTS
LOCATION:
Nyungwe, Rwanda
PROJECT START:
2019
PROJECT DEVELOPER:
Likano Project Development GmbH
EXTERNAL VERIFIER:
Gold Standard Foundation
QUALITY STANDARD.
Gold Standard VER (GS VER) Microscale
ANNUAL CO2-REDUCTION:
approx. 8.500 t CO2
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION:
ProjeCt bENEFITS
- The project saves around 8,500 tons of carbon emissions per year
- Efficient cooking stoves enable a more responsible and economical use of wood
- Protection of biodiversity in Nyungwe National Park with over 300 species of birds and 13 registered primates, including chimpanzees and colobus
- Clean and economical cooking for all households in the project area
- Reduction of respiratory diseases through less smoke when cooking
- Support for families who grow tea - one of the most important crops in the region
- More time to provide a family income as less time is spent gathering wood
- More time for education and school
- Better health and less unpaid work, especially for women and children
- Jobs and value creation through local manufacture, sale and maintenance of the cookstoves
Project background
The Nyungwe Forest National Park in southwest Rwanda is home to one of the largest mountain rainforests in Africa and thus an enormous variety of animal and plant species. The area around the park is very densely populated. The population is growing rapidly, needs more and more firewood and thus endangers this unique ecosystem.
Our carbon reduction project enables households to significantly reduce their wood consumption. Traditionally, families here cook over an open three-stone fire. This is inefficient and also poses a serious health threat due to the heavy smoke exposure.
The project will introduce efficient cooking stoves made from local clay and sand. The so-called Canarumwe model is produced by a local cooperative and uses two thirds less fuel than the three-stone fire. The stoves are offered at such low cost that even low-income households can afford them. Since women are usually responsible for the fire, they and their children particularly benefit from this project.
How does climate action with efficient cookstoves work?
In many poorer regions of the world, families cook on open fires, often in closed rooms. The energy efficiency is low and large amounts of energy are lost unused. In addition, the heavy smoke development leads to severe health problems.
Clean and efficient cookstoves are often simple devices made of metal or clay, but they make better use of the energy supplied by burning wood, oil or coal. The users of the efficient cookstoves save fuel, cash for the now lower fuel consumption and drastically reduce carbon emissions.
Contribution to the UN sustainability goals
Project Quality standard
Gold Standard
The Gold Standard was developed in 2003 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and more than 20 other international environmental organisations. The standard is supported by the non-profit Gold Standard Foundation based in Switzerland. Gold Standard projects are primarily characterized by the fact that, in addition to reducing carbon emissions, they also contribute to sustainable development in the respective project region - in addition to climate action, they also bring social added value.
