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Stoves fired with shea shells to reduce the environmental impact of shea production in Burkina Faso
- Completed project
The project, led by Cirad, plans to produce stoves using shea nut shells as an alternative to wood. This new technology could be used by cooperatives and women–led organizations, which are often in charge of collecting, boiling and shelling shea nuts in Burkina Faso. FID’s funding will enable existing stoves to be fueled with shea shells and evaluate their efficiency with local populations.
The FID funding allowed several studies to be carried out on the feasibility of the project, including an in-depth field survey on current boiling practices to measure the emissions linked to this boiling, as well as a market study on the use of such stoves.
Project deployed by:
Context
Shea nuts are one of the main agricultural products of southwestern Burkina Faso. Producers mainly use wood-burning stoves to boil the shea nuts and make butter out of them. These stoves require a lot of wood, and therefore increase deforestation while generating toxic fumes that can be harmful to the health of the women using them on a daily-basis.
Innovation
The French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (Cirad) carries out this project, which aims to adapt wood-burning stoves to the use of a different kind of fuel, shea nut shells, which are normally discarded after being boiled. By using shea nut shells as fuel, this project aims to promote a new cooking method respectful of the environment and of the health of women producers.
The FID funding was intended to carry out the preliminary studies necessary to optimize existing improved combustion stoves.
Methodology and results
Surveys were conducted in 3 regions (Southwest, Cascades, and Hauts-Bassins) and 9 villages in Burkina Faso. At the end of the data collection, 652 women were surveyed, including 592 shea producers and 60 engaged in other activities requiring cooking (catering, beer making, etc.). At the same time, individual interviews were conducted to provide additional information on the sociocultural context and potential challenges related to the introduction of new cooking equipment.
Results
The first part of the surveys focused on the use of shea nut shells, in order to understand whether their use as an energy source had already been considered:
- 10% to 40% of women (depending on the region) valued the shells energetically, and confirmed during the discussion groups that the availability of suitable tools could increase their use of the latter.
- Among the other ways of adding value to the shells, the majority are thrown into manure (61%), then almost all of the rest (44%) are thrown directly onto the ground in the yards.
Future research on the subject may demonstrate whether the decomposition of shea shells in manure is beneficial to the land, or whether it only allows families to get rid of them.
The extensive market research carried out by the project team showed that:
- 80% of the women surveyed were ready to use a new fuel other than wood, coal or gas.
- 88.4% of them would be interested in a new combustion stove model, with a strong appeal for improved stoves.
- 47% of the women surveyed did not know that they could use shea shells as fuel.
Regarding the willingness to pay for the purchase of an improved stove: **43% of the women surveyed would be willing to pay **more (around 20%) for an improved stove allowing the combustion of shea shells, 88% of women would be willing to benefit from payment facilities of up to 6 months to finance this purchase.
Learnings
The diversity of responses on willingness to pay demonstrated the need for flexibility in commercial proposals.
This supports the fact that women are aware of the savings they could make by using this innovative stove, fueled by shea shells they usually discarded, representing savings on the purchase and collection of other fuel sources. However, setting up suitable payment plans is crucial to maximize the acceptance of these new technologies.
During a knowledge-sharing workshop held after the survey, it was decided that for the next phase of the project, the team would focus on developing an improved combustion stove that could use both shea shells and wood as fuel, for mixed uses (boiling shea shells and domestic use). This combustion stove would be well suited to the daily lives of users, who could use the shea shells and then wood as a supplement when the shells were no longer available. The potential commercialization of these combustion stove would also be coupled with training and awareness-raising activities on good cooking practices that are more respectful of the environment.
However, activities had to be interrupted early following the decision to stop French public funding to Burkina Faso .
The project team
The** International Center for Agricultural Research for Development **(CIRAD) co-builds knowledge and solutions for resilient agriculture in order to achieve sustainable development goals.
The Burkinabe social enterprise Nafa Naana implements programs aimed at making clean, modern and economical cooking and lighting solutions accessible to Burkinabè families.
The 2iE Institute is a higher education and research center located in Burkina Faso. Its Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Laboratory aims to develop innovative solutions to energy access issues in developing countries.
Climate Solutions Consulting specializes in studying the impact of ecological cooking systems.
The Burkinabe Plant Oil Company (formerly OLVEA Burkina Faso) is a company that produces shea butter and plant oils located in Bobo Dioulasso.
Project progress
- July 2023
Launch of the project
The kick-off meeting for the KarBur project was held on July 10, 2023. A data collection campaign has already begun in order to confirm current shea nut scalding practices, existing disincentives to the use of hulls as fuel and smoke emissions with current stoves.
Do you have any questions about FID? Check out our Q&A!
- FID funds activities in all countries eligible for official development assistance (OECD list) , regardless of the nationality and origin of the innovators, researchers and organisations. Teams can submit their applications regardless of where the applicant and partner organisations are registered. However, applications for preparation grants must be submitted by organisations based in one of the countries eligible for official development assistance.
- FID aims to review your application, make an initial decision, and notify you of that decision within approximately 3 months of receipt of your application. You will receive updates about your application from contact@fundinnovation.dev, so please ensure this email address is added to your contact list. The review process includes three steps: 1. An Initial Review (2-3 months) in which the FID team assesses the application submitted to the online portal against the evaluation criteria outlined in the Call for Proposals. 2. Additional Information Gathering (1-4 months) in which FID staff may ask follow-up questions, request additional information or documentation, speak with partners on the proposal, and speak with external experts with relevant sector, local, or technical expertise. 3. Convening of and recommendations by the Review Committee. Applicants should expect a minimum period of six months between the submission of the application and first funding disbursement.
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