Building improved smokeless cookstove with local materials for cooking livestock feed

Organisers: ICIMOD and Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law (JSW)

About the training

The Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) of ICIMOD is collaborating with the local government of Haa District and Jigme Singye Wangchuck (JSW) School of Law to organise a training program on building improved cookstoves using locally available materials in Haa, Bhutan. This is being organised with support from the Himalayan Rocket Stove Company. The improved stove offers an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional stove, reducing fuelwood consumption and outdoor air pollution associated with livestock feed preparation.

Apart from the training, we also plan to measure emissions, particularly PM black carbon (BC) and gases, using Ratnoze1 equipment and compare fuelwood usage between traditional stoves and the improved stoves introduced by the Himalayan Rocket Stove Company, focusing at least on the Katso area. During the measurement process, the hands-on training on using the Ratnoze1 equipment will be provided to participants from the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC).

The workshop is supported by the United Kingdom International Development through its Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

Objective

The objectives of this training are to:

• Equip local participants with the skills to build improved cookstoves using locally available materials.
• Assess fuelwood consumption and emissions, particularly BC and gases, between the traditional cookstove vs improved.
• Enhance the technical capacity of DECC participants to measure BC and gases using the Ratnoze1 equipment.

Background

In November 2024, ICIMOD through HI-REAP conducted a household study on the indoor air pollution–GESI–clean energy nexus in Katsho and Uesu Gewogs, Haa. The study covered 245 households and included focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews with community members and local government officials.

One of the key findings from the FGDs, which involved 21 participants (16 female, 5 male), was that most households in Katsho and Uesu Gewogs continue to rely heavily on traditional fuelwood stoves or Bukhari for both space heating and livestock feed preparation, despite the availability of renewable energy alternatives. It was also noted that livestock feed is cooked daily throughout the year, and in many cases, this practice contributes more to fuelwood consumption and air pollution than space heating. These activities typically take place outside the main household near cattle shed. The findings are supported by a report that 96.3% of households use fuelwood for room heating and 100% for livestock feed preparation (Dendup et. al.,2022).

Haa district is recognised as a key dairy production hub with improved cattle breeds initiatives. Haa district is considered best for Dairy, considering the district’s favourable climatic conditions in the temperate region (2400-3000 m asl). The government has supported with the formation of dairy groups with the objective of generating employment, enhance income, and improve rural socioeconomic conditions. However, little attention has been paid to the environmental impact of livestock feed preparation especially its consumption to fuelwood use and air pollution through smoke emissions.

Additionally, women are primarily responsible for collecting fuelwood and preparing livestock feed, which directly exposes them to air pollution. Reducing fuelwood use and improving stove technology could significantly ease their workload and health risks.