Africa’s future lies in energy-saving jiko

Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria is shown how energy saving jikos operate in May 2015. [PHOTO BY BONIFACE GIKANDI]

Unpredictable and extreme weather patterns like floods and severe droughts denote the reality of climate change, whose impact is more acute in Africa than other parts of the world.

Due to the aforesaid challenges, the world embraced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) two years ago, with a target of realising them in 2030. Access to clean fuel and technologies is one of the 17 SDGs aimed at reducing excessive energy losses at household level.

This is essential because saving energy is the first step toward fighting global warming with almost one-half of the necessary climate mitigation measures coming from improved energy efficiency technologies such as the energy-saving jiko.

Usage

Many households in Kenya today have an energy-saving jiko. Although these jikos have been studied for purposes of reducing the amount of fuel used, most are designed to use energy sources such as wood, charcoal and saw dust as fuel hence dependence on forest resources.

Yet, the global forest cover is shrinking at an alarming rate of about 3.3 million hectares every year, which is equivalent to almost five times the size of Nairobi County.

Thus, it is vital to ensure that the energy-saving jikos are designed in such a way that minimal firewood is used and people’s health is taken care of. Currently, there are numerous designs and knowing their efficiency in term of the time, energy and carbon emission savings can be used to alter the cooking habits and designs of the jikos. 

A study to demonstrate how these stoves help to mitigate climate change was conducted by the Born Free Foundation and Eden Wildlife Trust in the community around Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County in May this year.

Thirty Maasai women were randomly selected to cook half a kilogramme of yellow beans and rice, boil one litre of water and prepare the popular Kenyan white tea on the jikos and the traditional three-stone open fire.

For each cooking experiment, firewood from dried hook-thorn acacia (commonly known as ngoja kidogo or wait-a bit thorn) was used. The time, quantity of wood fuel, and changes in temperatures per cooking session were recorded and used to estimate the carbon emissions and energy savings. 

The study findings affirmed that cooking on energy saving jikos is faster than open fires and saves time which can be used to attend to other domestic chores.

Study

For instance, in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated people walk 50 kilometres per week or use animal-drawn carts in search of firewood, and where it is bought, it takes up about 25 per cent of the family’s income. Therefore, saving wood fuel is key in rural areas such as Amboseli.

The study further indicates that cooking on energy saving jikos saved between 13 and 33 per cent of wood fuel, which is crucial for protecting the tree cover in the area, over and above reducing carbon dioxide emissions, a contributor of climate change, into the atmosphere. 

The study concludes that energy saving jikos reduces carbon emissions, saves time and wood fuel consumption.

These findings are contrary to the popular belief that open fire, when carefully operated, can be efficient and clean to rivals; the energy saving jikos.

Although the study proves that energy saving jikos are more efficient than the open fire, such stoves can still be re-designed to be more efficient and minimise indoor pollutions.

For instance, heat loss can also be reduced by designing the jiko to ensure the cooking pots are placed inside, half way down the inner casing of the stoves. 

As exemplified by these jikos used by the Amboseli women, households that use the open fire can save a lot of energy if they change the cooking habits. With the options available for cooking, the decisions you make about what equipment to use and how to use may save you energy, money, and also help to mitigate climate change effects. 

 

Mr Manoa works with Born Free Foundation Kenya as the Programmes Officer