| Main knowledge bank page |
Recent additions |
Recent changes |
What links here |
Categories |
Category cloud How-to guides | Organisation profiles | Project profiles | |||||||||
Asian stove programmes as seen by ARECOP by Jennifer McAvoy
[top] [end]How many Boiling Point readers are familiar with ARECOP?In the 1980s, Yayasan Dian Desa, an Indonesian appropriate technology NGO, acted as the south-east Asian focal point for FWD (Foundation for Woodstove Dissemination), and through its work it became clear that cookstove production, experts, and regional ICPs (improved cookstove programmes) could greatly benefit from a regional forum. With strong support from the FAO Regional Wood-Energy Development Programme (RWEDP) and FOOD, in 1991 the Asia Regional Cookstove Programme (ARECOP) was born, and soon established cooperation with bodies such as ITDG and GTZ.A great deal of time, energy and resources has been devoted to developing an environment in which regional organizations have access to information, expertise, communication channels and opportunities to implement ICPs. This process has given increasing clarity to the fundamental role ICPs play in the development of Asian communities. In the 1980s, the global movement to save trees and forests focused almost exclusively on the fuel-saving aspects of ICPs, which were expected to protect the forests of developing countries from over-exploitation by fuel gatherers. This early premise is no longer the only rationale for the implementation of ICPs. As Shyam Sundar of ITDG-Sri Lanka has said, 'There's more to stoves than stoves'. This is a lesson which manifests itself daily in the varied roles that stoves play in the homes of people throughout Asia. When ARECOP manager Christina Aristanti was traveling in Sulawesi, she met a village woman who became tired of waiting every day for her husband to bring home firewood for cooking. One evening, after being made to wait longer than usual, she tore down the bamboo wall of her house in frustration and used it to cook dinner for her family. Firewood had often been a cause of quarrels between her husband and herself, as it is in many families where fuelwood is difficult to collect or expensive to buy. In central Java, villagers still use three stones for cooking despite the widely available Keren stoves. Similarly, many villagers in the hills of Nepal continue to use their old stoves after a more efficient stove has been installed, believing that ill fortune will befall their families if the old stove is broken. These issues come to light in ICPs wherever they are implemented. The following is a brief list of issues and concerns encompassed in the role of the improved stove:
[top] [end]ARECOP's added value in the regionIt is clear, from experience in ARECOP's network countries, (see map opposite) that real benefits have resulted from the increase in communications, the exchange of expertise and the support for local stove initiatives. The evaluation of these will determine what should be included in ARECOP's activities over the next few years.Based on feedback from its member organizations and contacts, ARECOP plans to allow greater flexibility in the implementation of its programmes. For example, it will shift towards a more decentralized network, by providing opportunities for its Country Contact Points (CCPs) to identify and interpret local needs and trends, and to initiate activities at national or sub-national levels. The CCP in Vietnam, the Hanoi Architectural Institute (HAI) has carried out a great deal of research and experimentation in kitchen improvements. ARECOP can help other network members who lack these skills and resources, to integrate the findings on this important aspect of ICP work into their programmes. Other areas that deserve further exploration or replication because of their early success are:
[top] [end]ARECOP's core programmeWithin its network of twelve Asian countries, which include the six focus countries of The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, ARECOP structures its programmes in four basic components. These will help regional ICPs in: network building and communication, information and publications, training and technical assistance and support for new stove initiatives. This framework allows for extensive consultation with network members in the creation of ARECOP programmes to fulfill their needs.For example, ARECOP helps to train local manpower through workshops on needs common to organizations throughout the region or to enable network group members to attend training rneetings. Often, a small consultation from ARECOP can allow an organization to develop a new approach or initiative. ARECOP owes its development as a network to extensive co-operation with its regional counterparts, such as ITDG and GTZ, as well as to the enthusiasm of its CCPs. They provide information and often technical back-up to local organizations which have fewer resources for the development of local ARECOP-supported initiatives. ARECOP publishes a quarterly magazine, GLOW (see Boiling Point, 4 26), which contains articles, technical papers, and research and development reports from its network organizations. [top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 33: Household Energy Developments in Asia
| |||||||||
Page created:
23 August 2007; Last edited:
01 December 2008; Version: 1 | |||||||||
Pagename: AsianStoveProgrammesAsSeenByARECOP @HEDON: WVGA | |||||||||
