Fuel-Efficient Stoves: Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters,

I’m writing to you today because I know you care about the families and communities we work with in Guatemala. I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for your generous support. It allows us to respond to the immediate needs of rural and indigenous families so that they can pursue dignified lives and livelihoods in the places where they live. It also helps reduce pressure on important natural resources and ecosystems.

Why efficient stoves matter? Earlier this year we were invited to participate and present our work at the 3rd Forum of the Latin America and Caribbean Clean Cookstove Network at Zamorano University in Honduras. The forum afforded great opportunities for sharing with and learning from researchers, implementers, and experts. 

Some of the key facts discussed included:

Approximately 40% of the global population relies on wood fuels (bioenergy) for cooking and water heating, accounting for 9% of global energy use, 55% of the global wood harvest, and 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. (1) In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) 40 million families currently cook with an open flame. The keynote presenter, Dr. Omar Masera, from UNAM, Mexico, discussed the need for scaling efforts to respond to this challenge. 

His key recommendations for doing this are very consistent with EcoLogic’s approach and how we do our work--essentially prioritizing the needs of the end-users: the “amas de casa.” For example, just building or "installing" stoves is not enough by itself, we always work to ensure that the new stoves are successfully adopted and properly used in the long-term. Also, we don’t simply expect users to "change their behavior" in the abstract, but rather understand their context and help make reducing firewood use a feasible option for them.

I’m sharing a few pictures from stoves recently constructed in Totonicapan, Guatemala. Also, follow-up visits conducted on stoves in the Ixcán region that are 8-10 years old but that are still being used. A few repairs over time--such as replacing the chimney and metal plate--can significantly extend the lifespan of a stove. Finally, our partner organization in the Sarstun region has recently been testing a new stove model called Chispa.

I work with these communities day in and day out. I know how much they appreciate the positive impact you are making in their lives and on their forests through your support of EcoLogic. If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch with me at mdeleon@ecologic.org. Or, better yet, come visit us and see for yourself!

In solidarity,

Mario Ardany de Leon, Program Officer, Guatemala

(1) Masera et al. Environmental Burden of Traditional Bioenergy Use. Annual Review Environmental Resources 2015. 40:121–50.