Charcoal stoves in Kenya are
probably one of the most recognized and widely used kitchen appliances in the
nation, especially considering that over 80% of all Kenyan's rely primarily on woodfuels for their cooking needs.
Since the 1920’s, “ Jikos” (as they are known in Kiswahili) have been
an essential part of Kenyan cooking, from beans to chicken masala and from
roast maize to roast chicken. Jikos are as widely used as ever and are fast
becoming even more user friendly and energy efficient every year.
Cooking with charcoal provides an even heat
source that is also affordable and reliable in comparison to gas/electricity.
Given the multiple uses of a good Jiko - cooking, drying clothes, space heating
etc. they are a must-have item in any East African kitchen. And with their use of charcoal,
which can easily be sustainably grown, switching to an efficiently designed energy saving
Jiko saves you time, money and our forests.
We also have been designing methods of small scale charcoal growing and making using only tree branches and twigs - we have designed a barrel kiln that can carbonize up to 50kg of charcoal per day without cutting down a single tree.
This means that the seed-to-ash cycle of domestic household energy can be a well planned, sustainable energy system as long as these basic guidelines are followed:
- plant trees, many of them
- harvest sustainably
- carbonize efficiently
- use the charcoal in a good stove
- put the ash in your compost heap and grow more trees!
We hope that providing access to improved energy saving stoves and ovens, efficient charcoal kilns, high quality tree seedlings, seeds and planting advice, the African Wildlife Foundation and the Woodlands 2000 Trust can make a real impact on encouraging and demonstrating to East Africans how to use less charcoal and firewood
and plant more tree's for our forest byproduct needs.
Help protect our remaining forests and woodlands by contacting www.awf.org or by visiting the Woodfuel Security Center in Kimana Town.
