Background

The majority of Cambodian people depend on fuel-wood daily for cooking, most commonly using the Lao stove. This traditional stove uses charcoal that is produced from earth mound kilns; a process that is inefficient and is responsible for high emissions of greenhouse gases.

The project

The project involves replacing the traditional Lao stove with an efficiency of 25% with an improved Lao stove having an efficiency of 29%. The programme is run by GERES. Although the gain in the efficiency may seem small, this gain leads to a cut in the demand for charcoal by 21%. The project therefore reduces greenhouse gases used in both charcoal production and the use of charcoal during cooking.

This project aims to transform the cooking market in Cambodia. It overcomes many barriers to achieve its goal: developing the stove, developing the sales channels, improving sales techniques, marketing the stove and management training. Distribution channels are set up from producers to retailers to users, with training provided for the producers and retailers.

Other benefits

Social: The project is building the country's capacity in technical skills in the manufacture, marketing and sale of the improved cooking stove.

Economic: By reducing the amount of fuel used for cooking, the project enables stove users to spend less on fuel to cook.

Environmental: Some estimated 369,000 tonnes of wood fuel are consumed for charcoal production annually, destroying 45km2 of deciduous forests each year. Only 3% of this re-grows, which translates to an average loss of 197,000 ha annually. The project helps to reduce this loss by reducing the demand for wood fuel.