Dissemination of 3 Million Improved Cookstoves in Cambodia By Women Entrepreneurs to Improve Lives of Women End-Users - Cambodia

To tackle issues like forest degradation and inefficient fuel use, Group for the Environment, Renewable Energy and Solidarity (GERES) introduced the first improved cookstove in 2003 in Cambodia. The cookstove, called the New Lao Stove (NLS), is meant to empower women economically while improving their lives as end-users.

Fast facts:

This activity has saved 1.6 billion tonnes of wood and has prevented 2.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from entering the atmosphere;
To date, 115 women have become cookstove entrepreneurs and have contributed to enhance the leadership roles of women in their communities by employing 235 women directly;
This activity has enabled the economic empowerment of 350 women and benefited 800,000 women end-users;
This activity generated more than 11 million USD in revenue to the supply chain and stove energy savings have reduced CO2 emissions by 2.4 million tonnes, equivalent to 22,000 hectares of Cambodian forest.

The problem

In Cambodia, wood and charcoal are the main fuels for more than 83% of households, and thus contribute to forest degradation and increased energy costs. The use of inefficient cookstoves also increases the burden predominantly on women who have to travel further and spend more time collecting firewood for cooking.

The solution

To tackle these issues, GERES introduced the first improved cookstove to the Cambodian market. By improving the grate, changing the height of the combustion chamber, insulation and height of the stand and openings, this new cookstove is able to decrease biomass consumption. The stove demonstrates consumption reductions of approximately 21% when cooking with charcoal. This activity has also enabled women to become cookstove entrepreneurs and improve their economic condition through trainings and becoming cookstove distributors.

Helping the planet

Forest degradation and deforestation are relevant issues in Cambodia as fuelwood is one of the main sources of energy in the country. By disseminating improved cookstoves, this activity will reduce the consumption of firewood, therefore decreasing pressure on forests and decreasing CO2 emissions.

Helping people

Women are supported by this project through capacity building activities. Women are trained in improved cookstove technology, production and quality control along with financial management and marketing. Women are also guided on the development of their own customized sustainable business models for their enterprises. They are guided toward finance and investment opportunities and mentored for human resource management and leadership positions.

Scaling Up

The improved cookstove has been mainly disseminated in urban areas like Phnom Penh (40% of urban households are now equipped with one) and demand is rising in rural areas since the Cambodian rural population represents 12 million people (80.5% of total population) and still massively relies on inefficient and polluting cooking devices. A recent study showed that 40% of the rural population still uses traditional stoves or three stone stoves as their main cooking device. This activity has the opportunity to scale up the dissemination of the New Lao Stove in those areas and improve the livelihoods of women and men while mitigating climate change.