By Andrew Masinde
Farmers in Bududa district have adopted improved Energy Saving Cook Stoves as a way to control deforestation.
The farmers say their movement away from the three stone cook stoves was because they waste a lot of firewood and cooking time.
Margret Nandutu, a farmer from Munyende village in Bushika Sub-county says that households have adopted the use of energy-saving cook stoves and and almost everyone has built one.
According to Nandutu, the energy saving cook stoves have helped them minimize tree cutting as they reduce wood quantity used and in addition, lead to improved health due to reduced smoke in the kitchens.
“Before this intervention, households were using the traditional three stone cook stoves which would consume a lot of firewood and produce a lot of smoke,” she said.
She adds that after the training on environmental protection by the Manafwa watershed restoration and stewardship (MWARES) project which is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, there was a shift from traditional three stone cook stoves to improved energy saving cook stoves which use less firewood.
Lona Nabulo, a farmer from Nekoshe village, in Bukalasi sub county says that that unlike before when she was using three stone stoves that were wasting firewood, today with the energy saving cooking stove she uses less firewood.
She explained that the cooking stove also reserves heat so you can cook food for lunch and leave it there until supper and you will have hot meals.
“Because of the goodness of the stoves, I have started encouraging other community members to have them in their kitchens. Indeed, the stoves have helped us save out tree covers, “she says.
