Effect of the use of " maendeleo stove" on the livelihood of households in Kamelil Sub-Location, Nandi South district, Kenya

Abstract

Promotion of the maendeleo stove in Kamelil Sub Location of Tinderet Division, Nandi District started in the year 2001 and is still continuing through the Home Economics Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with Thuiya Enterprises and International Council for Research in Agroforestry. The local community uses fuelwood as their major source of cooking energy. The broad objective of undertaking this study was to establish the effect of the use of the maendeleo stove on the livelihood of the residents of the Sub Location, particularly the energy saving and time saving aspects. The results of the study indicate that the community has benefited from the energy saving potential of the stove because they spend less time collecting fuelwood from the forest. The money saving aspect did not come out clearly mainly because the majority of the residents do not purchase fuelwood. The results of the study also indicate that the residents save time by using the stove particularly for school going children because the stove cooks faster. The time savings realized give the community more opportunities to concentrate on their farms, attend to the children and businesses among other activities. The study established that while the community heavily depends on the forest for fuelwood resources, fuelwood use is not as much a threat to the forest as demand for land for settlement. Crop residues, mainly maize stalks are used by 97% of the residents for starting the fire. The community plants trees but harvests very little fuelwood from them.

The study recommends promotion of tree planting programmes with appropriate education on management of trees and proper utilization for fuelwood; increased promotion of the maendeleo stove in Kamelil and surrounding communities; increased awareness creation on the maendeleo stove and promotion of improved charcoal stoves.