The Status of Improved Cookstove Programs in Nepal

7/28/2019 The Status of Improved Cookstove Programs in Nepal

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A. Background

THE STATUS OF IMPROVED COOKSTOVE PROGRAMS I N NEPALI

Ganesh Ram Shrestha and Ha ri G. Go rk ha li(Centre f o r Rura l Technology, P.O . Box 3628 , Kathmandu)

wit h t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f

Ki rk R. Smi th(East-West Center, Honolulu , Hawai i 96848)

June 1991

In 1987 , D r. Timothy Wood o f Wr igh t Sta te U n i ve r s i ty, work ing wi th

the U.S. NGO, Vo lun tee r s i n Techn ica l Ass i s t ance , comple ted an

assessment o f improved cookstove programs ( I CP s) i n Nepal f o r th e U.S .

Agency f o r I n t e r n a t i o n a l Dev el op me nt . T h i s a ss es smen t i s s t i l l v a l i d i n

most r e s p ec t s . T h u s , o u r r e p o r t f o cu se s p r i n c i p a l l y o n t h e s t a t u s o f

ICPs a s o f e a r l y 1 9 9 1 , w i t h o n l y b r i e f men ti on o f t h e b ack gr ou nd

discussed more thoroughly i n th e Wood assessment . A t th e e nd, we

examine t h e ex te nt t o which t he recommendations o f t h e Wood assessment

seem s t i l l t o b e a p p r o p r i a t e .

Improved cookstoves programs were f i r s t begun i n Nepal dur i ng th e

ea r l y 1950s us ing Ind ian mode l s, th e Hyderabad and Magan chu las . T h e

Agri-Engineer ing Workshop under th e Department o f Ag ric ul tu re developed

a mould wi th Which inexper ienced and un sk i l le d peo ple cou ld make

improved s t o v e s . T h i s a pp ro ac h was e x te n de d a s p a r t o f t h e v i l l a g e

development ser vi ce s o f th e " Tribhuva n Gram Bikash Development," Which

ended i n t h e e a r l y 1 9 6 0 s. A l s o d u r i n g t h e 1 9 6 0 s , Mr. J a g a t Nar ay an

Shres tha conducted p ioneer ing individual work.

Effo r t s con t inued i n th e mid 1970s by th e Women's Tra in in g Cen t re

in d isseminat ing the Lorena Stove f rom Guatemala , the U.S. Peace Corps ,

which t r a ine d a f ew vo lun tee r s i n improved s tove cons t ruc t ion , and

1Thi

sre

Global Review and Eval uat io n o f Improved Cookstove Programs ( 19 90 -9 1) .


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2

e n er g et i c i n d i v i d u a l e f f o r t s b y M r. Ra j d as Sh r es t ha . T h e M ri ge nd ra

M ed ic al T r u s t s t a r t e d r e s e a r c h o n h e a l t h e f f e c t s o f smoke i n

t h i s p e r i o d w i t h t h e c o l l a b o r a t i o n o f H .R . Va i d a a nd t h e R es ea rc h C e nt e r

f o r A p p l i e d S c i e n c e a n d Te c h n o l o g y (RECAST) a t Tr i b h u v a n U n i v e r s i t y.

These e f f o r t s f a d e d o u t , m a i n l y beca us e o f l a c k o f f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t .

By 1 9 7 9 , h o we v e r, e v e r - i n c r e a s i n g wo od d ema nd s a n d s e r i o u s

s ho rt ag es o f f ue l wo o d c om bi ne d w i t h t h e d e t e r i o r a t i o n o f N e pa le se f o r e s t

r es ou rc es t o a r ou s e t h e g o ve r nm e nt ' s ( HM G' s) a t t e n t i o n a s w e l l a s t h e

i n t e r e s t o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l a ge nc ie s i n v o l v e d i n n a t u r a l r e so ur ce s

d ev el op me nt . T h e N a t i o n a l P l a n n i n g C omm is si on N e pa l f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e

i n cl u de d f u e l u o o d p r ob l em s i n i t s S i x t h p l a n ( 1 9 8 1 - 8 5 ) , un d e r w h i c h

s o l u t i o n s t o t h e f u el w oo d p r o b le m we r e t o b e d e v el o pe d . T h e S ev en th

Pl an ( 1 98 6 -9 0 ) a c t u a l l y s p e c i f i e d a t a r g e t o f 1 60 ,0 00 I C s , o f W hi ch l e s s

t ha n 25% w as a c h i e v e d. ( T h e E i g h t h P l a n h a s n o t b ee n re l e a s e d a s y e t ) .

D ur in g m os t o f t h e 1 9 8 0 s, t h e m a j o r i t y o f I C ( i mp r o v ed c oo k s to v e )

a c t i v i t i e s w e re u nd er ta ke n b y t w o o r g a n i z a t i o n s :

The R e se a rc h C e n t e r f o r A u l i e d S c i e n c e a n d Te c h n o l og y o f Tr i b h u v a n

U n i v e r s i t y (RECAST) i n i t i a t e d a p r og ra m i n 1 9 79 t o d e s i g n , d e v e l o p , a n d

f i e l d t e s t I C s . P i l o t - s c a l e d em on st ra ti on an d d i ss e mi n at i on we re a l s o

u nd er ta ke n. I t s e f f o r t s we re e n co u ra g e d b y t h e s i g n i n g o f a c o n t r ac t

wi th t h e HMG/UNDP/FAO and t h e Community Fo re s t ry Development Program

(CFDP) i n September 198 1.

The Community F or es t r y Deve122ment Program iCFDP1 oper a te d i n 37

ou t o f 7 5 d i s t r i c t s i n N ep al d u r i n g i t s f i r s t p ha se ( 19 81 -8 8) a n d was

th e f i r s t f o r e s t r y p r o j e c t i n i t i a t e d i n N ep al w i t h a s p e c i f i c commitment

t o t h e d e ve lo pm en t a n d d i s s e m i n a t i o n o f I C s . C F D P p e r fo r me d i t s o wn

m o n i t o r i n g a n d e v a l u a t i o n a nd r e l i e d o n RECAST f o r t e c h n i c a l b a c k up .

During t h e f i r s t p ha se , n e a r l y 25 ,0 0 0 I C s w er e i n s t a l l e d . I t was

dec ided t h a t th e second phase o f CFDP (199 0-96 ) wou ld no t in c lude IC s

because t h e s e we r e b e t t e r d i s se m in a t ed t h r o u g h t h e p r i v a t e s e c t o r a nd

had t o o l a r g e a n a d m i n i s t r a t i v e ov er he ad . T h e r e c e n t f u e l s h o rt a ge s i n

N epal , h ow e ve r, h a ve r e k i n d l e d some i n t e r e s t i n I CP s w i t h i n t h e M i n i s t r y

o f F o r e s t r y, b u t n o p l a n s h av e y e t b ee n d e ve l op e d.


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A r e c e n t r e v i e w o f t h e f i r s t p h as e o f CFDP b y I n t e g r a t e d

Development Sys tems , Co . ( I D S, 1990) had gen e ra l ly nega t ive f ind ing s

about th e s tove component. T h e s e were blamed on poor de s ign , h ig h

main tenance , longe r cook ing t imes , b reakage , and " insu ff i c i en t s tove

promotion and ex tens ion . " O f those r ece iv ing IC s , on ly 47% were found

t o b e pr e s en t u se r s , a nd o n l y 20% o f t h es e u se i t e x c l u s i v e l y. O v e r a l l

f u e l sa v i ng s p e r I C was f o u nd t o b e o n l y 11 %. T h e ma j o r i t y c o ns id e re d

t he I C t o b e mo re c o nv e ni e nt a nd l e s s s mo ky, b u t o n l y h a l f f o un d i t t o

be b e t t e r o v e r a l l th an t h e t r a d i t i o n a l s to v e. I n s u f f i c i e n t

p a r t i c i p a t i o n b y l o c a l u s e rs was s i t e d a s a p r i n c i p a l r e as o n f o r I C P

poor performance.

Using a shadow wage of NRS 16 .8 pe r man-day o f gath er in g t im e, ID S

d ete rmin ed t h e CFDP I CP t o h a v e a i n t e r n a l r a t e o f r e t u r n ( I RR) o f 1 0%,compared t o o v e r 20% f o r t h e p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e p l a n t a t i o n p a r t s o f t h e

program. I n a d d i t i o n , t h e I CP I RR wa s s e n s i t i v e t o a s s umpt io ns , s u c h

t h a t , f o r e x am pl e, j u s t a 20% i n c r e a s e i n c o s t s wo uld e l i m i n a t e a l l

b e n e f i t s .

I n t h e 1 9 8 0 s , a s shown i n Ta b l e 1 , t h e r e we r e a l s o a n umber o f

s mal le r I CPs , s po ns or ed a n d r u n b y a r a n ge o f n a t i o n a l , b i l a t e r a l , a n d

non-government agencies.

B. S t a t u s o f I t Tr o v e d Co ok sto ve s a nd I n s t i t u t i o n a l E f f o r t s ;

At p r e s e n t , d e t a i l e d a nd r e l i a b l e d a t a a b o ut many o f t h e I CPs a r e

n ot a v a i l a b l e s i n c e many o f t h e p r oj e ct s /p r og r ams a r e n o l o n g e r

o pe ra ti ng s t o ve pr om ot io n a c t i v i t i e s . A s shown i n Ta b l e 1 , i t s ee ms ,

tha t by 1991 , somewha t l e s s than 40 ,000 ICs had been ins ta l l ed

t hr ou gh ou t t h e n a t i o n t h r ou g h t h e e f f o r t s o f d i f f e r e n t o rg a n i z a t i on s an d

p r o j ec t s (< 2% o f t o t a l h o u se h ol d s) . F i g u r e 1 i s a map s ho wi ng t h e mai na re as i n W hi ch I CPs op e r a t e d . M o s t o f t h e s t o v e s we re e i t h e r t h e

Ceramic I n s e r t Stov e wi th Ceramic Chimney developed by RECAST o r th e New

( mo d if ie d ) Kag an Ch u la , whi c h a l s o h a s c e ra mic p a r t s . T h e e v o l u t i o n o f

IC des igns i s shown in Fig ure 2 .


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The number o f I Cs c u r r e n t l y i n u s e i s n o t e x a c t l y known. T h e

e st imat es g i v e n i n t h e t a b l e r e f e r t o e s t i ma t e d u s ag e a t t h e e nd o f e a ch

program. I t was e s t ima ted by Wood (1 98 7) , f o r example , th a t more than

55 p e r c e n t o f t h e s t o v e s i n s t a l l e d d u r i n g t h e 1 98 0 s we re no l o n g e r i n

u se . T h o s e r em ai ni ng we re r ep o r t ed t o b e g r a d u a l l y f a l l i n g i n t o d i s u s e ,th ro ug h l a c k o f f l u e mai nt en an ce , a c c i d e n t a l i n t e r n a l b r ea k ag e , a n d

normal we a r a nd t e a r . A number o f r e as on s h a v e b ee n i d e n t i f i e d t h a t

l imi ted widesca le d i s semina tion :

- th e p o t ho le s were too sma l l t o accommodate the l a rg e po t s used i n

many households;

- i n many c a s e s , t h e b a f f l e wa s t o o s ma l l t o a c h i e ve g oo d h e a t t r a n s f e r ;

- t h e i n s e r t s w er e t o o h ea vy ( 1 8 k g p e r u n i t ) a n d t o o f r a g i l e f o r

massive d i s s emi n a ti o n i n Ne p a l . T h e r e i s c o n s i d e r a bl e b re a k ag e ,

e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e f l a n g e o f t h e ch imne y s e c t i o n d u r i n g t r a n s p o r t a t i o n

from p r o d uc t i on c e n tr e s t o t h e p l a c e o f u s e .

- t h e s e i n s e r t s , i n m o st ca s e s, c o u l d n o t b e p rod uc ed l o c a l l y ;

- s k i l l e d t e c h n i c i a n s ( p o t t e r s ) w e r e nee ded t o p ro du ce a nd i n s t a l l ;

- t h e I C s c o u l d n o t p r o v i d e b o t h s pa c e h e a t i n g a nd co o k i ng , e s p e c i a l l y

f o r h ou se ho ld s i n t h e h i g h e r h i l l s a n d mou nt ai ns ;

- t h e y c ou l d n o t h a nd l e t h e e n t i r e r a ng e o f f u e l t y p e s t h a t p e o p le bu r n

( a g r i c u l t u r a l bi omas s a nd i n d u s t r i a l r e s i d u e s , f o r e x ampl e) ;

- i t w as d i f f i c u l t t o r e p l a c e b ro ke n p a r t s o f t h e s to ve s; an d

- mos t I CPs l a c k e d e n e rg e t i c d i s s e mi na t i o n s t r a t e g i e s i n v o l v i n g t h e

loc al o rgan izat ions and women users .

See Wood (19 87) f o r fu r t he r d i scuss ion o f th ese and o t he r p rob lems .


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C. O n g o i n g E f f o r t s i n 1 22 1

5

Table 2 shows those Nepa l i o rgan iza t io ns now ac t i ve ly invo lved i n

I C R&D a nd p ro mot i on a l e f f o r t s . A l t h o u g h t h e r e a r e n o La rge - s c a l e

d is se mi na ti on e f f o r t s s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n , t h e r e a r e s e v e r a l s m a l l

e n erg et i c e f f o r t s a n d o t h e r s p la n ne d :

The Smal l Farmer Develo2ment Program iSFDP2 of th e A gr ic ul tu ra l

Development Bank o f Nepal (ADEN) was s t ar te d i n 1975/76 wi th suppor t

from U P / FA O f o r 2 p i l o t p r o j e c t s . B y J u l y 1 99 0, t h e r e we re 4 59 f i e l d

o f f ic e s c ov e r in g 1 4, 5 3 0 g ro up s i n 7 5 d i s t r i c t s . T o h e l p pr om ot e a r an ge

of improved techno logi es , i nc lu di ng IC s, t h e SFDP emphasizes

mo b i l i z a t i o n o f l o c a l u s e r g r o u p s .

Production Cr ed it f o r Ru ra l Women iPCRW1 i s a program o f th e Women

Development Di vi s i on (WDD) o f th e Mi ni s t ry o f Local Development (MLD).

I t was s t a r t e d 1 98 2 w i t h t h e o b j e c t i v e o f a l l e v i a t i n g p o v e r ty a nd

improving the so c i a l we l f a re o f ru ra l women. T h e p rogram has been

implemented i n 42 d i s t r i c t s and a n es t imated 164, 000 women have

b e n e f it e d . I C s h a ve b ee n a component o f t h e s e e f f o r t s .

The Centre f o r Rur al TechnologI ACRTI was es ta bl is hed i n Kathmandu

( 19 89 ) a s a p r i v a t e - s e c t o r o rg a n i z a t i o n w i t h a ims t o a s s i s t p e o p l e a nd

agenc ie s i n th e developmen t , p romot ion , and d i s semina t ion o f appropr ia te

t ec hn ol og ie s s u i t e d t o r u r a l c o n d i t io n s . C u r r e n t l y, i n c o n ju n ct io n w i t h

the PCRW and SFDP, CRT has been in vo lve d i n a UNICEF-assisted p ro je ct

"Ch i ld ren , Env i ronmen t and Sus ta inab le Development i n Nepa l" . O n e o f

the ac t i v i t i e s i s t o choose and p romote ICs i n 30 s e lec t ed PCRW/SFDP

project are as t o reduce fuelwood demand and t o improve household

s a n i t a t i o n .

Re a l iz i n g t h e c o n s t r a i n t s t o I C d ev el op me nt i n r u r a l a r e a s o f

Nepal, CRT has promoted a new ty pe o f sto ve developed by RECAST. T h i s

"Tamang" I C i s a h igh-mass c l ay s tove s i mi la r t o th e New Hagan IC , bu t

w it h a n i m po r ta n t a d d i t i o n . A m e t al t r i p o d i n s e r t i s us ed t o g i v e

s t r ength such th a t l a rg e po t s and v igo rous s t i r r in g can be accommodated.


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I n c o n t r a s t t o t h e c er am ic i n s e r t , h ow ev er, t h e m e t a l t r i p o d i n s e r t i s

f a m i l i a r, c h e a p, l i g h t ( 3 k g ) , u n b r e a k a b l e, a nd c a n b e made i n many

l o c a l a r e a s .

By Ap r i l 1 9 9 1 , o v e r 5 0 0 s u ch s to v e s h a d b e en i n s t a l l e d b y t r a i n e dloca l t echn ic ians wi th t ec hn ic a l a s s i s t ance f r om CRT and ADEN i n

d i f f e r en t SFDP/PCRW areas . B as ed on f i e l d obse rva t ions , t he Tamang has

gained po pu la r i ty among ru ra l housewives a s compared t o e a r l i e r in se r t ed

pre fab r ica ted ceramic s tov e ma in ly because o f th e fo l low ing reasons :

- t h e c om pl et e s t o v e c a n b e made b y s k i l l e d l o c a l p e o p le w i t h l o c a l

m a te r ia l s s uc h a s , r o c k , b r i c k , m ud , b r a n , a n d i r o n , w h ic h i s a l r e a d y

brough t in fo r o the r pu rposes ;

- i t c a n b e made i n d i f f e r e n t s i z e s a s p e r f a m i l y re qu ir em en ts a nd

i n s t a l l e d i n t h e d e s i r e d l o c a t i o n ;

- i t s mud b r i c k c hi mn ey c a n b e made l o c a l l y ;

- i t s i r o n t r i p o d i s f i x e d i n t h e grou nd w hi ch makes t h e s to v e s tr o ng

and dur able ; an d

- B a s e d o n f i e l d i n t e r v i e w s , 3 0 - 35% o f f u el wo od i s s a ve d a nd ki t c h en s

are le ss smoky.

About 35 l o c a l ar t i sa ns in c lu di ng 6 women s to ve promoters were

t ra in ed i n 1 99 0 t o c o ns tr uc t t h e I C s a t v ar io u s p r o j e c t s i t e s . I t i s

planned t h a t a n a d d i t i o n a l b a tc h o f 8 0 l o c a l a r t i s a n s ( t e c h n ic i a n s ) w i l l

be t r a i n e d t o i n s t a l l 9 5 0 s t o v e s d u r i n g 1 9 9 1 . C R T h a s e mp ha si ze d

cons t ruc t ion by the use r and has pub l i shed s imple and p rac t i ca l

techni cal g uid el i ne s on improved household cookstoves w i t h mud br i ck


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chimneys f o r t h e u s e b y t h e p r o j e c t o f f i c i a l s , l o c a l a r t i s a n s , a n d g ro up

l ea de rs who a r e i n v o l v e d i n I C p ro mo ti on an d di s s emi n at i o n a c t i v i t i e s i n

r u r a l a r e a s .

CRT i s a l s o d e ve l op i ng a pr og ra m t o a s s i s t i n t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n o f

f u e l - e f f i c i e n t i n s t i t u t i o n a l s t o v es f o r community c oo ki ng a s w e l l a s f o r

s m al l -s c al e i n d u s t r i a l u s e su ch a s i n t h e e f f i c i e n t u s e o f f ue lw oo d

energy fo r bo i l in g Lok ta , a r aw ma te r i a l f o r mak ing hand-made pape r i n

s el ec te d a r ea s o f t h e w es te rn d i s t r i c t s . A s p a r t o f i t s i n t e g r at e d

r u r a l de ve lo pmen t f o c u s , CRT h as be e n p e rf o rmi ng t h e r o l e o f f a c i l i t a t o r

o r c a t a l y s t t o s e r v e a s c le a r in g h ou s e f o r i n f o r ma t i o n d i s s emi n a ti o n ,

fac i l i ta te communicat ion/contacts among researchers , developers ,

promoters, and users.

United Miss ion o f Ne2a1 OMN I has had modest ICPs i n two areas o f

t he co u n tr y (J um la an d A n dh i K ho l a ) . E x c e p t f o r t h e c o s t o f t r a n s p o r t ,

the ICs a re f u l l y subs id ized by UMN. E y e p roblems a r e common in these

a r e as , t o t h e e x t e n t t h a t many y ou ng men c a nn o t q u a l i f y f o r p o l i c e o r

army s e r v i c e . T h e s e p ro bl ems a r e o f t e n a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e smoke i n s i d e

homes. Ne ve r t he le s s , UMN has found th a t ICs a r e g ene ra l ly no t h igh on

the l i s t o f p r i o r i t i e s f o r u se rs . I n a d d i ti o n , i n J uml a, u se rs w er e

concerned t h a t I C s w ou ld n o t p r o v i de s u f f i c i e n t l i g h t a n d h e a t i n t h e i r

homes, b u t d i d l i k e t h e r ed u ct i on i n b u rn r i s k f o r c h i l d r e n . I n t h e

f u t u r e , URN p l a ns t o t r y i n t r o d u c i ng I Cs t h a t a r e p l a c e d u n de r ho od s

b u i l t i n t o t h e wa l l s .

Save t h e Ch i l d r e n . USA ( STC) ad de d a n I CP i n 1 9 8 4 t o i t s i n t e g r a t e d

ru ra l deve lopmen t p rogram begun i n 1981 , wi th th e o b jec t ives o f r educ ing

fue l u se and smoke l e ve l s . A mod i f i ed Nada Stove (mud body, po t t e r y

f l ue , damper) has been p romoted. I n 1987 , a n eva lua t i on was conducted

by RECAST wi th th e f o l l owi ng re su l t s :

- - Bo i l i n g wa t e r t e s t s r e v e a l e d a 22% PHU;

- - 65% I C s s t i l l i n u se ;

- - P o t h ol e s w e re t o o s m a l l f o r l o c a l n ee ds ;

- - U se rs m is se d t h e l i g h t a nd h e a t g i v e n o f f b y t r a d i t i o n a l s t o v es ;


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a

- - F lu e i n many homes was no t c l eaned reg u la r ly ; a nd

- - Use rs c l a imed some f u e l sav ings .

Ano ther RECAST eva l ua t ion i s p lanned f o r 1991 f o r th e 1000 ICs In s t a l l e d

in 1990 .

Househo lds con t r ibu te 15 Rs o f the 20 Rs l abor cha rge , wi th the

remainder (5 Rs ) and ma t e r i a l s (7 0 Rs ) dona ted by STC. T h e ICP depend

on Non- fo rmal Adu l t Educa t ion Cen t re s s e t up i n each Panchayat . O n e

f a c i l i t a t o r i s t r a i n e d i n e ac h A d u lt E d c l a s s , who t h e n t r a i n s t h o se i n

c las s who a r e i n te re s ted . T h e nomadic g roups o f p o t t e r s a re encouraged

t o make a nd s e l l f l u e p a r t s .

RECAST now has f ou r s t a f f working on IC s and has developed a t o t a l

o f 8 I C s (m ud , m e t a l , b r i c k , a nd 5 c e r am i c -i n s e rt I C s ) . L i k e t h e o t h e r

groups i n Nepa l , however, RECAST i s now p r i nc ip al ly focused on th e

m e t al - tr i p od r a t h e r t h a n ce r a m i c -i n s e r t I C s . I n a p r o j e c t fu nd ed b y t h e

FAO Regi onal E nergy Program, Bangkok, RECAST i s embarking on a p i l o t

s tu dy t o pr omot e k i t c h e n impr ov emen t. T h i s w i l l i n c l u d e I Cs , b u t a l s o

l a t r i n e s a n d c o mp o st in g, a s we l l a s impr ov ed k i t c h e n v e n t i l a t i o n ,

l i g h t i n g , a nd w or ki ng a re a s . R E C A S T i s a l s o mo vin g i n t o i n s t i t u t i o n a l

ICs f o r t e a s ho ps a n d a n impr ov ed t e a d r y i n g s t o v e t h a t c a n b e u s ed f o r

o the r pu rposes du r ing th e seasons when t ea ha rves t in g i s no t oc cur r ing .

RECAST has a l so t aken up se ve ra l ICP eva lu a t ions i n r ece n t y ea r s ,

i n cl u di n g t h o s e f o r t h e CFDP a n d Sa ve t h e Ch i l d r e n a s w e l l a s o n e f o r

t he Te r a i F o r e s t r y P r o j e c t i n a s s o c i a ti o n w i t h c o n s u lt a t i on f o r I C P

improvement (Sulpyal 1 9 9 0 ) .C o o k i n

gt e s tsi n d ic a t edt ha tt ho seICs

b u i l t t o t h e ne w s p e c i f i c a t i o n s s a v ed mor e t h a t o n e - t h i r d f u e l c ompared

t o t h e t r a d i t i o n a l s to v es i n t h e a r e a .

Ne p a l -Au s t r al i a Fo r e s t r y P r o j e c t s t a r t e d d i s s emi n at i n g

p r ef a br ic a te d c l a y s t o v es i n 1 9 8 3. T h e y f o un d t h a t t h e s e we re n o t

s u it ed t o h i l l r e g io n s b ec au se o f t h e s t r a i n e x pe ri en ce d b y t h e t y p e o f

cooking and because o f b reakage du r ing t r a nsp or t . T h e s e were more

s uc ce ss fu l i n t h e Te r a i , h o we v er. N o w f o c u s in g on t r a i n i n g a f e w do ze n


11/22

9

loca l women each yea r to bu i l d mud s toves . R ec en t su rvey found 100% o f

mud s toves s t i l l i n use a f t e r 6 months . Women complain abou t chimney

c le an in g b u t a p pr e c i at e l o w er h e a t a nd e y e i r r i t a t i o n .

USAID has i n i t i a t e d a new in teg ra te d fo re s t ry program th a t w i l l

have a n im p or t an t I C component. O r i g i n a l l y c a l l i n g f o r a r a t h e r l a r g e

p o r ti o n o f t h e t o t a l e f f o r t , t h e s t o v e component h a s n ow b ee n s c a l e d

back t o a l e v e l commensurate wi t h a s ix -mon th e f f o r t by an ex pa t r i a t e

e x p er t , Ti m Jo ne s, f r o m I TDG i n t h e UK, wh o a r r i v e d i n A p r i l 1 9 9 1 . H i s

m a i n r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s t o a c t a s a c a t a l y s t t o b r i n g t o g e t h e r t h e

d i spa ra te groups wi th in th e Kathmandu b i l a t e r a l , NGO, and donor

communities who h av e i n t e r e s t s i n I C s . I t i s hoped t h a t i n t h i s wa y a

more coordinated and vigorous ICP can be developed for the country.

The Mrigendra M edic al Tr us t IMMT1 has been intr od uci ng Tamang ICs

i n t h e Ph ar pi n g r e g i o n o f Kathmandu Va l l e y. I n a d d i t i o n t o

incorpora t ing ICs i n to t h e i r gene ra l e f f o r t s a t community improvement ,

MMT has b een stud ying t h e e ff e c t s o f IC s on smoke exposures among women.

For e x ampl e, i n a f o l l o w- u p t o a c r o s s - s e c t i o n a l s t u d y d on e o f t h e

pot ent ia l f o r IC s t o reduce smoke exposures t o cooks (Mounta in Research

and Develo2ment (MED) , Nov. 19 86 , p . 29 3) , MMT recen t ly pub l ished t h e i r

l o n g i t u d i n a l s t u d y o f e xp os ur es b e f o r e an d a f t e r i n t r o d u c t i o n o f I Cs

(MRD, Nov. 199 0 , p . 31 3) . B o t h s tud ie s showed th a t ICs seem to r educe

smoke e xp os ur es t o o n e - t h i r d o f t h e i r t r a d i t i o n a l l e v e l s .

MMT r e l i e s h e a v i l y o n u s e r s ' gr ou p s a nd v i l l a g e - l e v e l p a r t i c i p a t i o n

in i t s p rograms . MMT has a l so conducted and pub l i shed med ica l r e sea rch

on th e impact s o f s tove smoke on ch ron ic b ron ch i t i s i n adu l t s and acu te

r e s p i ra t o r y i n f e c t i o n s i n c h i l d r e n , b o t h c r i t i c a l h e a l t h pro ble ms i n

Nep al . T h e i r wor k h a s i n d i c a t e d t h a t s u b s t a n t i a l h e a l t h imp ro veme nts

can be a s soc ia ted w i t h r educ t ions i n smoke exposures unde r r u r a l Nep a l ic on di ti on s. T h e y p l a n f u r t h e r , mo re d e t a i l e d , s t u d i e s o f t h i s k i n d .


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D. Cu rr en t St at us o f th e Wood Recommendations

In 19 87 , Ti mot hy Wood made a number o f recommendations. To t h e

e xt en t t h a t t h e r e i s e v i d e n ce , i t may b e u s e f u l t o e x amin e W he th er t h e y

seem va l id fo r the 1990s .

Cookstove designs are inadequate:

been done t o develop and t e s t new

make ad d i t ion a l con t r ibu t io ns and

a ble t o t a k e o n t h i s r o l e .

Te s ti n g has b e en i n s u f f i c i e n t : N o s y s te ma ti c t e s t pr oc ed ur es a r e y e t i nuse.

10

Li t t l e a d d i t i o n a l wor k seems t o h a v e

designs . RECAST has not been a bl e t o

p r iva te - sec to r NGOs have no t ye t been

High subsidies are se l f -defeat ing: There is some movement away f rom

t o t a l s u b s i d i e s b u t mos t p ro gr ams s t i l l s u b s i d i z e I Cs t o s ome e x t e n t .

Need f o r b e t t e r e x t en s i o n s e r v i c e s : T h e r e i s g o od e v id e n ce t h a t e a c h o f

t he I CPs no w o p e r a t i n g h a s q u i t e s o p h i s t i c a t e d e x t e n s i on e f f o r t s

compared t o t h e p a s t . T h e r e i s a c u t e s e n s i t i v i t y o f t h e ne ed t o i n v o l v e

u ser s a nd p ro v i d e s u f f i c i e n t r e so u rc e s f o r t r a i n i n g a nd p a r t i c i p a t i o n .

Na ti o na l t a rg e t s h a v e b ee n u n r e a l i s t i c a n d c o u nt e r pr o d uc t iv e : T h e

n at io n i s now a t t h e o t h e r e xt re me , i . e . , t h e r e a r e n o t a r g e t s a t a l l ,

indeed, no IC s a t a l l i n prese nt HMG programs, such as Community

F o re s tr y. T h e r e a r e e a r l y i n d i ca t i o n s o f g ro win g i n t e r e s t a g a i n ,however.

Take advan tgge o f ex i s t ing_s tove -b u i ld ing t r ad i t ions : T o some ex te n t ,

the focus on th e Tamang s tov e ( s ee be low) i s movement i n th i s d i r e c t io n .

Develop space heat ing s toves: T h e sma l l UMN program t o t r y hoods seems

t o b e t h e o n l y movement i n t h i s d i r e c t i o n .

Reconsider th e New Mggan Chula : N o one seems t o be promoting t h i s s to ve

a t p r e s e n t .


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12

p r o je c t s. F r o m t h i s s t a n d p o in t , N ep a l ca n b e p ro ud o f i t s p r o gr es s i n

one o f th e most c r i t i c a l components o f success fu l ICPs .

I t i s s t r i k i n g , h ow ev er, how l i t t l e t h i s s o p h is t ic a ti o n i n t h e

human s ide of the ICP equat ion has been matched by sophis t ica t ion on the

t ec hn ic al s i d e . D e s i g n a nd t e s t i n g e f f o r t s r em ai n r e l a t i v e l y

u n so p hi s ti ca t ed a n d , i n d e e d , s ee m t o h av e a c t u a l l y r e gr e ss e d i n r e c e n t

y ea rs . W h a t Ne p al seems t o n e e d a r e t e c h n i c a l b ac ku p u n i t s o f

s u f f i c i e n t c a l i b e r t o ma tc h i t s h i g h - q u a l i t y " s o c i a l ba ck up u n i t s . "

I d e n t i f y i n g p e o p l e an d o rg a n i z a t io n s h a v i n g t h e R&D s k i l l s a n d

i n t e r e s t s a n d g i v i n g t h em d ue r e c o g n i t i o n a nd s up p o r t w i l l b e a n

i mp or ta nt p a r t o f a c h ie v in g g r e a t e r p e n e t r a t io n o f I C s i n N e p a l . S u c he f f o r t s , o f c o u r se , mu s t b e c l o s e l y i n t e g r a t e d w i t h o t h e r de ve lo pmen t

ac t iv i t i e s , such a s ag ro fo res t ry, income gene ra t ion , women ' s p rograms ,

and e nv ir on me nt al a nd s a n i t a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s a t t h e g r a s s - r oo t s l e v e l .

There a r e many good suggestions i n t h e Wood assessment w i th reg ard

t he s k i l l s n ee de d b y su ch t e c h n i c a l b ac ku p u n i t s t h a t a r e e v e n mo re

r e le v a nt t o d a y t h a n i n 1 9 8 7 . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r e may b e wa ys t o t a k e

advan tage o f th e advances made in o th e r As ian coun t r i e s i n r ec en t yea r s

i n t e c h n i c a l backup c a p a b i l i t i e s . I n d i a , C h i n a , a n d , t o a l e s s e r

e x t e n t , S r i Lan ka h av e d ev el op ed i n s t i t u t i o n s t h a t m ig h t we l l s e r v e a s

models a n d t r a i n i n g c e n t e r s f o r u p g ra d in g Ne p a l ' s c a p a b i l i t i e s .

I n t h i s r e s p e ct , i t i s c u r i o us t o n o t e t h a t w h i l e t h e r e s t o f S ou th

Asia seems t o be moving away f rom mud ICs and toward ceramic in se r t s

because o f qu a l i t y con t ro l p rob lems wi th mud , mos t people i n Nepa l seem

t o b e l i e v e t h a t N e pa l s ho ul d move i n t h e r e v e r s e d i r e c t i o n . W h a t i s

h ap pe nin g, h o we v e r, i s n o t r e a l l y a move a wa y f r o m i n s e r t s , b u t r a t h e r amove toward an even s t ronge r in se r t r ep resen ted by t he me ta l t r i po d used

in th e Tamang I C . A s th e h i s to ry o f Ch inese ICPs shows , wha t may

e v e n t ua l l y b e n ee de d i n Ne pa l i 3 e v e n mor e me t a l pi e c e s t o b e t t e r f i x I C

c r i t i c a l d im en si on s.


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13

One of th e impo rta nt Wood recommendations t h a t seems abou t t o be

addressed re la te s t o th e need f o r some sor t o f means to br i ng tog e ther

a l l t h e d i f f e r e n t g ro up s a nd p eo p le i n N ep al i n te r e s t e d i n I C s . A s o f

ea r l y 1991 , t he r e we r e s i gns t h a t t h i s was beg inn i ng t o occu r.

A l a s t obse r va t i on i s t h a t m ost o f t he g roups i n Nepa l p romoti ng

ICs c i t e r educ t i on i n smoke exposur e a s a m a jo r goa l . T h e y do no t seem

to be aware , however, o f th e extens iv e work under taken on th i s subj ec t

by one o f t h e i r com pa t r i o t s, D r. M. R. Pandey o f t he MMT. M o r e t han any

o th er r e s ea r c h i n t h e w o r ld , t h i s w or k i n d i c a t e s t h e s u b s t a n t i a l h e a l t h

benef i t s t h a t can accrue through such reduct ions i n smoke exposure .

Tapp ing t he r e su l t s o f t h i s work cou l d be an e f f e c t i v e means t o

s tr engt hen t h e Ju s t i f i c a t i on f o r I CPs i n Nepal and , i t m i ght be hoped ,

i nc re as e t h e f u nd i ng b as e I n d e e d , p a r t i a l c o s t - b e n e f i t an a ly s es u s i ngDr. Pandey ' s pub l ished da t a show t ha t t h e p r e sen t va l ue o f hea l t h

ben efi t s so le ly t o cooking women from a working I C may exceed US$50

(Smith & Ramakrishna, Energy Research Monograph #98, International

Development Research Centre, Ottawa, 1986).

In conclus ion , we f e e l th a t government agencies , NO0s , t echnology

development centers , and publ ic organiza t ions , as wel l as donors , should

con ti nue t o p r e s s f o r devel opment o f t he t e chn i ca l c ap ab i l i t i e s needed

to d ev el op e f f e c t i v e I C P s, a s w e l l a s f o r c o nt i nu a ti o n o f e f f o r t s t o

develop user-based d i ssemina t ion s t ra te gi es .


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14

Table 1Effor t s of var ious Organizat ions /Agencies Di re ct ly Involved i n

the Promotion and Dissemination o f Improved cookstoves i n Nepal(1981-1990)

Organization T o t a l Stoves E s t i m a t e d Y e a r sdisseminated S t o v e s i n us e

I . C c u m u n i t y Fores t ry 2 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 1 - 8 8Development Project

iUNDP/FAO/IBRDI

2. B e g n a s , Rupa Ta l 1 0 0 7 0 8 6 - 8 7Watershed Management

Project iCAREI

3. P h e w a Ta l Watershed 1 0 0 7 0 8 6 - 8 7Project

4. I n t e g r a t e d H i l l 1 5 0 4 6 8 1 - 8 6Development Pr oj ec t

LSATAI

5. N e p a l / A u s t r a l i a 3 6 0 0 -5 0 % 8 3 -ores t ry Pro jeo t

6. R e s o u r c e Conservation 1 0 0 0 2 2 5 8 1 - 8 5and Ut i l i za t i o n P ro j ec t

iUSAI121

7. 4 Appropr ia t e Technology 2 8 0 3 0 8 1 - 8 4Uni ts (US AI D/ LU N)

8. T e r a i Community 1 9 0 0 1 1 5 6 8 4 - 8 7Fores t ry Pro ject

i E g l

9. T i n a u Watershed 3 5 0 8 4 8 2 - 8 5Management Project LSAT

10. C o m m u n i t y Water 1 7 0 0 8 8 4 8 3 - 8 7P r o j e c t (UMICEF/SATA)

11. S F D P / A D M U N I C E F 3 8 0 0 M A 8 3 - 9 0

12. S a v e t h e Chi ldren 1 5 0 0 - 2 0 0 0 1 5 5 o f 213 8 4 - 9 0

13. J u m l a and A ndhi KholaProject s (UMN) 1 7 0 4 0 % 8 7 - 9 0

14. P h a r p i n g (MMT) 2 0 0 9 0 % 8 8 - 9 0

15. S h a t b h a t e n i P ro je ct (LWS) s m a l l

16. L a i n c h a u r P ro je ct (FPAPC) s m a l l

17. L a l i t p u r (MHPP) s m a l l

18. R e d Cross s m a l l

T2tal : -4 0


17/22

1-4

;-i

g::I , I

t1

LocaonomoCo PoamnN


18/22

Fi gu re 2 : Ev o l u t i o n o f I mp ro v e d Co o k st o ve De si g n s i n Ne pa l

1981/82 Double Wal l Stove)14'

-198

1/82TERIgiov

e

1989/90 Improved OnePothole Mud Stov e

1952 Hydrabad Chubo

1984/85 Modified TERI Stove

e tr

1989/90 Improv ed TwoRing Mud Sto ve

1978/79 Lorena Stov e

1981/82 In se rt Stove

0----

1983 Modified In se rt Stove

1985/86 Tamang Stov e

1983 New Ne pa li Chubo

1983 Mud.n.Brick Sto

1989/90 Tamang Stove

source : K.M. Su lp ya , 1991.


19/22

114

Sources f o r Table 1 :1. Asse ssme nt o f Cookstove Prog ram i n Nepal (Wood, 1987)2 . Ma j o r Ag ro Fo r e s t r y Ac t i v i t i e s o f NGOs i n Ne p a l: A Su r ve y

(Jeannet te & Rayachhetry, 1 990 )3 . A g r i c u l t u r a l Deve lopmen t Bank , Rev iew Repor t , (ABDN, 1990)4 . Im pr ov ed Cook ing-Stoves i n Nepa l (K.M. Su lpya , 1991 )5. I n t e r v i e w s ( F e br u a r y a nd Ma rc h, 1 9 9 1 ) .

Abbreviations:ADBN: Ag ri cu l t ur a l Bank o f NepalCARE: ( t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l c h a r i t y )EEC: European Economic CommissionFAO: Food and Agr icu l tu ra l Organ iza t ion o f the Un i ted Na t ionsFPAPC: Fa mi ly Planning Associa t ion and Pa ra s i te ControlIBRD: Wo rl d BankLWS: Lu th er an Wor ld S er ci ceMHPP: Mi n i s t ry o f Hous ing and Phys ica l Plann ing (ea r thquake r e l i e f )MMT: Mri gen dra Medic al Tr us tSATA: Swiss B i l a te r a l Ai d AgencySFDP: Small Farmers Development ProgramURN: Un it ed Mission s o f N epalUNDP: Un it e d Na tio ns Development ProgramUNICEF: Uni ted Nat ions Chi ldren,s F u n dUSAID: Uni ted Sta tes Agency for In ternat ional Development


20/22


21/22

Summary

IMPROVED BIOMASS COOKSTOVE PROGRAMS

A GLOBAL REVIEW

A Project of the East-West Center, theEnergy Sector Management Assistance Program (World Bank), and the

United Nations Development Program:Principal Investigator : :Kirk:F1 SMi t tL: EasOiVe s t. .Cen te r

"An Evaluation of Improved Biomass Cookstove Programs: Prospects for Success or Failure."Available from ESMAP, World Bank, 1818 H Street, NW., Washington, D.C., 20433.

Main Reports

1. "Results and Analysis of the Global Survey of Improved Cookstove Programs," J.

Ramakrishna. (Survey done in collaboration with the Foundation for WoodstoveDissemination, Nairobi; Association Bois de Feu, Paris; and the Center for MesoamericanStudies on Appropriate Technology, Guatemala.)

"Improved Stove Programs: Where are We Now?" KR. Smith & J. Ramakrishna.

"The Hearth as System Central," K.R. Smith.

Country Studies (All final)

"100-million Improved Cookstoves in China: How was it Done?" S. Gu, K. Huang, D. au,& K.R. Smith.

"The Indian National Improved Stoves Program," J. Rarnakrishna.

3. "Improved Cookstove Programs in Sri Lanka: A n Evaluation," J. Bialy.

"The Status of Improved Cookstove Programs in Nepal," G.S. Shrestha, H G Gorkhati, &KR. Smith.

"Improved Coo kstove Programs in East and Central Africa: A Review,"Wickramagamage.

Background Reports

"The Economics of Improved Cookstove Programs," F. Hitzhusen.

"Evaluation Criteria for Improved Cookstove Programs: Assessment of Fuel Savings,"Bialy.

"Social and Organizational Aspects of Improved Cookstove Programs," S. Pandey.

"Health Effects of Biomass Smoke: A Brief Survey of Current Knowledge," KR. Smith.


22/22

THE EAST-WEST CENTER was established in Hawaii in 1960 by the United _StateS Congress"to promote better relations and understanding between the United States and the nationsOf Asia and the Pacific through cooperative study, training, and research."

: Some 2,000 research fellows, graduate students; and professionals in business and govern-ment each year Work with the Center's internat ional staff on major Asia Pacific issues relat-ing to population, economic and trade policies, resources and the environment, culture andcommunication, and in ternational relations. Since 1960, more than 27,000 men and womenfrom th e region have participated i n the Center's cooperative programs.

Officia lly known as the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East andWest, Inc., the Center is a public, non-profit institution with an international board of gover-

nors. Principal funding Comes from the United States Congress. Support also comes fromMore than twenty Asian and Pacific governments, as Well as private agencies and corporations.

THE EAST-WEST ENVIRONMENT AND POLICY INSTITUTE (EMI) was established in October1977 Through interdisciplinary and multinational programs of research and training, the In-stitute seeks to develop concepts and methods for sustainable environmental managementand to address major environmental issues of the Asia-Pacific region. Program plans andprojects are developed and carried out in collaboration with colleagues from the region andothers th roughout the world . Results of Institute programs are disseminated through books,journal articles, occasional papers, working papers, newsletters, and other educational andinformational materials

Reconciling development with the environment by bringing social and natural systemsinto harmony with one another is EAPI'S overall objective. Achievement of this objective in-volves both maintaining environmental q uality and improving the quality of human life. To

-help attain these interlinked goals, [API draws on the knowledge base of the natural andsocial sciences to develop and disseminate new tools fo r policymaking, management, e du7ation, and research. Work of the Institute is organized with in fou r programs that in teract.substantially with each other and with other institutes and programs of the East-West Center.

Documents

The Status of Improved Cookstove Programs in Nepal