Blog: Stoves cook up relief for Ethiopia’s forests, climate

A simple device could spell relief for Ethiopia’s beleaguered forests by making cooking more efficient while reducing carbon emissions, new research shows.

Improved Cooking Stoves (ICS) have a long history in nature conservation and development projects, as they bear the potential to reduce the pressure on forest resources and improve local livelihoods at the same time. Nevertheless, the success of ICS activities depends on a variety of different factors including the quality and adequacy of the specific cooking device as well as the scope of associated implementation activities such as local trainings and information campaigns.

Recently, the journal Land published a study, conducted in part by researchers at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), on fuelwood savings and carbon emission reductions through the use of ICS in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve in Ethiopia. The study featured stove efficiency tests and a household survey with 140 interviews to evaluate the potential of ICS to mitigate negative impacts of fuelwood harvesting on the forests....