edit this page Improved stoves for preventing deforestation - myth or reality?
Fuelwood (charcoal and firewood) is the main source of household energy in Madagascar. This situation is particularly alarming because the country’s forest areas are decreasing by 2.5% per year. Urban population growth is the main cause of deforestation; urban growth rate is often greater than 4% per year.
It is important to highlight that although fuel gathering is not the only cause, it is responsible for 40% of the deforestation. Given the absolute necessity for the population to use fuelwood, it is important to have an energy policy which aims to limit depletion of the country’s natural resources. The two main objectives of the Woodfuel Energy Saving National Program (PNEBE) are: - To reduce consumption of woodfuel
- To alleviate the cost of household energy.
A first step seemed to be the dissemination of a large number of fuel-efficient improved stoves. To evaluate the usefulness of this approach, the questions that needed to be addressed were: - How will household behaviour be affected by the introduction of improved stoves?
- Will the dissemination of improved stoves affect wood energy savings significantly from an environmental perspective?
 Figure 1: Artisan making an improved stove |
[top] [end]Study Framework and Methodology PNEBE is part of the Energy II project of the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Madagascar, financed by the Malagasy Government and the World Bank. The present impact study of household behaviour change, following dissemination of improved stoves (Figure 1), has been carried out in Antananarivo and its suburbs (about 1.5 millions habitants). The distribution of households was based on income as shown in Table 1.
 Table 1: Household sampling in Antananarivo |
The survey of Antananarivo inhabitants confirms that biomass (firewood, charcoal, and sawdust) is still the main source of household energy in Antananarivo (Table 2). In fact, 95% of the households in the capital city use biomass as their main fuel, usually as charcoal (91%).
 Table 2: Percentage of households using any given fuel in Antananarivo |
Since the only improved stoves available in Madagascar use charcoal, the study has been based on the behaviour analysis of those 93% of households using charcoal as their main or secondary fuel. Table 3 shows the income distribution of those who use stoves.
 Table 3: Distribution of improved stoves equipped household by income categories |
Middle-income use of improved stoves (54%) reflects that this group are able to pay the difference between the cost of a traditional stove (fatampera) and an improved stove (fatana mitsitsy). The average cost of a traditional stove is 7400FMG (franc Malgache), compared with 12500FMG for a fuel-efficient stove (1 US $ = 6 700 FMG; November, 2000). Overall, 41% of households have improved stoves. Low-income households are interested in improved stoves as they reduce fuel costs.
Every household using the fatana mitsitsy is convinced that the stove is fuel-efficient. The project therefore investigated how the extra money saved through using the improved stove was spent. Two main points came from the data: - Part of the saving is immediately allocated to other energy uses (Table 4). This fraction is larger for high-income households. For these households, two-thirds of the ‘savings’ are fictitious because they are spent buying energy for new purposes; water heating, ironing, etc. The improved stove contributes to an improvement in their quality of life by providing access to other energy services, without increasing their reliance on forest supplies.
- Secondly, 80% of the beneficiaries say they buy extra food with their savings.
 Table 4: Use of money saved from the use of the improved stoves |
 Table 5: Distribution of savings spent on non-energy uses |
 Table 6: Population involved in energy saving from improved stoves use |
[top] [end]Results analysis and perspectives Use of improved stoves by the least well-off contributes most to environmental benefits, and at the same time it reduces their expenditure on biomass energy. Only 35% of charcoal users contribute to wood saving.
The different models of improved stove give charcoal savings of between 20% and 45% (Bazile et Rabearivelo, 2000), which contributes to an overall saving near 30% in Antananarivo. So with only 35% of the population engaged in energy-saving through using improved stoves, among the 91% of charcoal users, we find that, in reality, this produces only 9.56% of charcoal saving.
This analysis shows that, in Madagascar, it is necessary to develop and diffuse an improved wood stove in parallel with charcoal stove dissemination. Since June 2000, the PNEBE has disseminated a fuel-efficient Lafatra wood stove that, under laboratory conditions, provides 50% fuel savings and an energy efficiency of 25%. However, using an improved wood stove is a new cooking concept in the country, and will thus take a longer time to diffuse, so an analysis of potential benefits has assumed a diffusion rate of only half that for charcoal stoves. In addition, by increasing peoples’ awareness of good fire management, it is possible to double the saving made by the use of improved stoves (Bazile 1998).  Figure 2: Artisan making the Lafatra stove |
These figures only refer to household energy consumption. They do not measure other uses such as cheap restaurants, bakeries, brickworks and other industries. Nevertheless, by extrapolating results from Antananarivo to the whole country, and by modifying the above observations for local differences, such as income groups, types of fuel used etc. we estimate that a programme like PNEBE might lead to 11,000 tonnes wood saving, if improved stoves for both charcoal and wood were distributed. This figure is still low because it is the equivalent of only 38,000 cubic metres of forest. Although modest, its impact is worth considering because, in a country like Madagascar, where the urban population growth is as high as 4%, the savings achieved are 3.5 times the energy needs created by demographic growth. Thus, a project like PNEBE is one way to slow down degradation, to allow time for other complementary actions such as forestry management or energy substitutes for wood to be developed.
- Bazile D. La gestion des espèces ligneuses dans l’approvisionnement en énergie des populations. Cas de la zone soudanienne du Mali. Thèse de doctorat de géographie de l’Université de Toulouse le Mirail (France), 452 p., 1998. For information on obtaining a copy of the thesis, please contact: Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, ANRT – T30280, 9 rue Auguste Angellier, 59046 LILLE Cédex, France Fax : (33) 3.20.54.21
- Bazile D. et Rabearivelo W. Rapport des tests de foyers à la Base Technique Foyer Amélioré du PNEBE, avril 2000.
- Marchand, H. Enquête socioéconomique sur les consommations d’énergie domestique à Antananarivo. Groupement Louis Berger SARL/ SERDI, RAPET n°64, 1992.
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[top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 46 - Household energy and the vulnerable  . |
Household energy and the vulnerable - The handicapped in a disadvantaged community - Strengthening village and neighbourhood organisations - Safety networks for the vulnerable - Women with disabilities - cooking, fires and smoke - Energy needs in a high altitude conflict zone of India - The provision of household energy - Coping mechanisms of internally displaced people in Benguela Province, Angola - AIDS a threat to biomass energy conservation - The hearth - reflections on the needs of women suffering mental illness in India - Identifying barriers to the adoption of specific domestic energy strategies - a new rapid assessment tool - Learning to listen to the poor - Funding for clean technology through the Climate Convention - Looking at household energy provision in a new way - The Sustainable Livelihoods approach - Improved stoves for preventing deforestatio - myth or reality? - The watermill battery charger
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