Good stoves facilitation to communities as projects and schemes does not lead to sustainable adoption of stoves. The initiatives for facilitation of good stoves should be program and enterprise mode with long term goals, where strategies evolve continuously and are demand based. Stove production and distribution should be location specific. The participatory technologies and demand based facilitation and avoidance of grants and subsidies are the key to sustainable facilitation of good stoves.
The participants would understand strategies adopted in this project successfully. Understand and adopt the role of various stakeholders in the Good Stoves facilitation programs – Institutes, organizations and agencies for facilitation, Production and Distribution enterprises and User Community. All these stakeholders are part of sustainability of Good Stoves enterprise with larger Objects and Goals. As facilitating agencies for successful results understanding critical aspects: to introduce efficient and affordable good stove technologies; doing research, studies and monitoring with community participation; identifying the community needs; creating awareness and sensitization on good stoves; creating networks for sustainable production and distribution of good stoves.
The establishment of the production/supply chain of the Good Stoves. Creation of production and distribution enterprises and addressing 50000 people having clean indoor air through facilitation of good stoves. Research and design of efficient low cost good stoves including TLUDs.
GEO is implementing and Action Carbone, GoodPLanet Foundation, based in Paris, France, is supporting Good Stoves and Biochar communities Project. http://goodplanet.org
Magh 3G Good Stove is the most successfully adopted stove, because of: high efficiency, light weight, low cost, all types of biomass, charcoal can be used as fuel, less fuel consumption and cooking time. GEO trains artisans for production and monitors the quality of stoves. On demand basis stoves are manufactured. Distribution is done by the local community leaders in each habitation. Community pays the value (in cash or produce) of the stove only if satisfied, or else they have the option to return the stove with feedback. No subsidies / grants.
The demand for these stoves is growing at a rapid phase, 2000 stoves are sold in last 6 months. The scope of facilitation increased from 10000 (as planned in project) to 50000 stoves, which could be easily achievable in next 1.5 years. Capacity development to 50 organizations on Good Stoves from different parts of the country and abroad are in plan in the next 1 year. In turn they would also produce / facilitate thousands of stoves in their respective project areas.
Good stoves designed with community participation has large scale adaptation. Creation of local enterprises creates additional income opportunities locally. The mutual trust and selling a genuine product and option for returning the stove, if not satisfied and constantly improving the stove design based on the user feedback made it adoptable on a large scale. The potential is ever growing beyond the project goal from 10000 stoves to 50000 stoves, which is easily achievable in next 1.5 years, reaching 250000 population.
Cost of the stove: The objective is that people should buy stoves on demand and at actual price without subsidies / grants. To make it affordable a good stove was designed, using reuse sheet metal and involving local artisans in production. Stove design: Initially TLUD stoves were introduced, which required lots of training to the user and power constriants, was found difficult to facilitate. Magh 3G stove with scientific principles and independent of biomass fuel, was easily adopted. The design was modified based on the community feedback for cooking all types of food.
Initially the stoves were given at a low price for testing, the adoption was slow and it was costing the project. It was decided that no subsidies and users should buy them at actual cost. The challenge was to reduce the cost of the stove and look into all the factors of adoption. Based on the pilot testing and feed back by the community improvements in the design of Magh 3G were made. They were made light weight and design facilitated for use of any type of biomass / charcoal as fuel. Now the stoves marketing is a huge success.
The stoves should be designed as per the local community needs and the technology should be participatory. Right and affordable price is important. For sustainability of good stoves no subsidies should be given, if stoves are good they would purchase themselves on demand. It is more important to give freedom for the user to use different types of biomass fuels, rather controlling them through manufactured specific fuel for a stove and making them dependant. Developing local stove production enterprises is important rather importing stoves.
The goal of GEO is to facilitate 1 million good stoves through partnerships, capacity building and knowledge sharing with Organisations / institutions / agencies / NGOs / donors / etc. To continue research and develop efficient and affordable stoves for different geographies. Create large scale awareness and sensitize, especially children and youth on good stoves.
Any of the participants can use the GEO good stove designs declared as open knowledge. Change the designs as per their local community needs and use them. They can become partners with GEO in achieving one million good stoves mission together. We would like to learn from experiences of participants on improving our strategies to meet the common goals.
GEO can offer capacity development programs to the participants on stoves production and distribution enterprises on demand. All the 40 good stove designs are declared as Open Knowledge, they can use any of them to achieve their goals. As knowledge partners, we can support in sharing our experiences.
GEO has plans of capacity development to 50 organizations on Good Stoves from different parts of the country and abroad in the next 1 year time. In this project efficient charcoal production technologies and Biochar compost preparation and application processes are researched and facilitated to the farmers. GEO is also working with school children in creation of awareness on Good Stoves and Biochar and involved in facilitation of institutional stoves for mid-day meals served in government schools.
