Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Co-design improved cookstoves
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is that Mozambique remains a highly forested country, but deforestation has been steadily increasing since 2000. According WWF international, the majority of deforestation and forest degradation is related to unsustainable agricultural practices and timber extraction. Mozambique’s forests contribute with multiple social, economic and environmental benefits, which continue to be threatened in spite of current responses. The underlying causes drivers of deforestation in Mozambique are broadly linked to technological (such as inefficient use of fuelwood), demographic (high demand for wood from urban areas), economic (inefficient commercial agriculture markets) and institutional factors (limited institutional and law enforcement capacity). Additional underlying drivers include urban energy demand, population pressure and food insecurity.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
The Accelerator lab in 2022 embarked on an exploratory study in most impoverished Districts of Mozambique, Carbo delgado with a focus on rural communities. The 10-day field study was aimed at collecting concrete information on user preferences for improved stoves currently on the market in Mozambique. The objective was to expose rural communities, specifically in the Metuge district, to a selection of stoves in order to obtain user information on needs, preferences and expectations. This was all done with the assumption that the users would have means to afford subsidised stoves that use clean energy sources as the local stoves used are made from locally sourced material (Clay) and use charcoal and firewood.
The challenge is driven by low income in some sectors of society, charcoal and firewood tend to be the most affordable and accessible fuel source. It is also driven by holding onto traditional or cultural norms for meal preparation that community members value.
The Local community, local economic development NGOs and Government is involved in the issue though the approach is not robust in terms of eliminating any cooking method entirely. For instance the local government in 2015 empowered the rural community of Metuge with pottery skills to make clay stoves and wares as a sustainable solution for cooking and income generation solution. The current situation is that Metuge community is still using clay cookstoves as a preferred option because it is made from clay (a natural resource) they have access to freely. There are new improved stoves in the market that have a metal sheath encapsulating the clay plate. This improvement is said to use less charcoal, reduces tree cutting, reduces the risk of smoke inhalation from high gas emissions retains heat and lasts longer.
Undesired effects is that it still does not migrate users to an alternative fuel either than charcoal which is made from firewood.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
GreenLight
Research study conducted a comprehensive investigation in the Cabo Delgado
region of Mozambique in August 2014, and noted:
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68% of the population in Cabo Delgado (CD) uses charcoal stoves for cooking
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From 2007 until 2014 (the year of this study), charcoal prices increased at a rate of 10% per year.
o
From the 2022 UNDP TOR: Over the last 10 years, the fastest-growing cities of Mozambique (Maputo, Beira & Nampula) have seen such a growth in the consumption of charcoal, that the prices have increased by more than 200%.
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Households in CD cook an average of 2.4 meals per day and spend an average of 2 hours cooking per day
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32% of households cook indoors, and 29% report having no windows in the kitchen
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At the time of the study, 66% of respondents were unaware of improved stoves in the market. However, 77% claimed they would be interested in purchasing one.
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51% of respondents believe cooking charcoal negatively impacts health, while 85% believe cooking with firewood negatively impacts health.
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58%of households claim they already have their “ideal stove”. Of the 42% who do not already own their ideal stove, 67% claim that money is the reason why.
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Respondents felt that the primary advantages of improved cookstoves were reduced fuel usage (47%), faster cooking time (30%), and a reduction of smoke (19%).
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100% of respondents would be willing to pay up to 100 MZN (in 2014) for an improved stove.
o
55% would be willing to pay up to 300 MZN
o
13% would be willing to pay up to 500 MZN
Takeaways: The study exposes a general reliance on charcoal fuel in Cabo
Delgado which, combined with the increasing cost and scarcity of charcoal,
reveals a need for fuel-efficient cookstoves. People appear to prefer charcoal
usage over firewood primarily because of economic factors. When introducing a
new improved cookstove to the Cabo Delgado region, the selling price would
ideally be kept below 100 MZN (2014 - requires a change to the 2023
equivalent). However, the selling price perhaps should not exceed 300 MZN as
this is the price where the expected acceptance rate drops from 55% down to
13%.
More quantitative data on deforestation is on the below links:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/deforestation_fronts_factsheet___mozambique.pdf
https://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/archive/Mozambique.htm
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/deforestation_fronts_factsheet___mozambique.pdf
https://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/archive/Mozambique.htm
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The value proposition of the Acclab is to provide designs of a cookstove that will not eliminating the use of biomass, but make them significantly more efficient, and subsequently reducing its consumption. It is worth investing resources to the challenge because of the environmental and health effects that are known. The output of the initiative will produce a cookstove design with a potential for is also a local economic activity
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
Sustainable Rural Cookstoves in Carbo Delgado
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the partner:
Local government of Carbo delgado province.
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The local Government's role is simply to provide access to the community as this province is a conflict zone.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
1. We want to learn what kind of improved cookstove would the community of Metuge like?
2. If a new cookstove would be designed, what would be the key success factors for it to be easily manufactured within the community.
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
The value these add to my learning question is interacting with the users and the ecosystem extensively to collate in depth insights about the challenge. This will enable us in extracting as much collective intelligence, for us to address the challenge effectively.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
The new data addresses Indigenous based knowledge in informing development challenges.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
The beneficiaries would be the community and the local artisans that would inherit the improved cookstove designs. This would present a new economic activity for a new line of cookstoves in the market.
END OF ACTION LEARNING PLAN: Thank you! The form saves automatically and your submission has been recorded. You may now exit this window.
7Affordable and clean energy
9Industry, innovation and infrastructure
12Responsible consumption and production
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