Stove Testing Results
We found that all three manufactured cookstoves save a substantial amount of firewood compared to the traditional three-stone fire. However, they all take longer to cook the same amount of food as a traditional three-stone fire.
Cooking Beans:
Compared to the amount of firewood typically used to cook beans on a three-stone fire, the StoveTec used 34% less wood, the Envirofit used 22% less, while the Advent stove saved 36%.
The Winner: A virtual tie between StoveTec and Advent.
The Winner: A virtual tie between StoveTec and Advent.
Cooking Ugali:
For ugali the StoveTec and Envirofit both reduced wood usage by 41%, while the Advent stove had savings of 25%.
The Winner: A tie between StoveTec and Envirofit.
The Winner: A tie between StoveTec and Envirofit.
The Verdict:
Firewood savings:All three manufactured firewood stoves showed substantial fuelwood savings relative to the three-stone fire. The StoveTec had the greatest combined firewood savings for cooking beans and ugali.
Cooking time: The StoveTec also had the smallest increase in cooking time for both foods. In fact, the amount of time to cook required for cooking on three-stone fire and the StoveTec stove were effectively the same.
Acceptable cost: Market value of the StoveTec is estimated at $17.50 per stove. Despite the StoveTec's qualities, only five of 30 Mbola women surveyed would spend the $17.50 to buy a StoveTec. At a price of $10, the number of women willing to buy a StoveTec rose to 18. The Envirofit was a close second, but the Advent fared poorly. Even at $5, only nine of 30 women would buy an Advent.
Cooking time: The StoveTec also had the smallest increase in cooking time for both foods. In fact, the amount of time to cook required for cooking on three-stone fire and the StoveTec stove were effectively the same.
Acceptable cost: Market value of the StoveTec is estimated at $17.50 per stove. Despite the StoveTec's qualities, only five of 30 Mbola women surveyed would spend the $17.50 to buy a StoveTec. At a price of $10, the number of women willing to buy a StoveTec rose to 18. The Envirofit was a close second, but the Advent fared poorly. Even at $5, only nine of 30 women would buy an Advent.
The figure below shows the results of our survey of the Mbola women. The women thought all three stoves were easy to light. Both the Advent and StoveTec used less firewood and emitted less smoke than the Envirofit. The Advent took too longer than both to cook beans and ugali.
