Kenya

Solutions for Clean Cooking: Dissemination of Efficient Cookstoves and Sustainable Briquettes

Project completed

Organisation

Gum Arabic and Resins Association (GARA)

Website

Support area

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions

Funding

124021 €

Project duration

Apr, 2024 – Mar, 2026

Despite the abundance of natural resources in Kenya’s sugar belt, poverty is high due to population growth, unemployment, and depletion of natural resources. Over 70 per cent of households use wood fuels in combination with inefficient cookstoves for cooking, while at the same time unused sugarcane bagasse is dumped in open fields, resulting in the release of methane.

This IKI Small Grants project aims to promote the use of efficient cookstoves, using bio-briquettes made from sugarcane bagasse instead of firewood to contribute to emission reduction, forest protection, and biodiversity, while improving the health and income situation of the target group. The target group consists of 200 members of two village cooperatives, who are to participate in the production, marketing, and use of the cookstoves and bio-briquettes.

The measures include awareness raising, capacity development, and support in setting up businesses and dialogue measures with government and sector representatives.

Key achievements

Status of cookstove designs and opportunities for production of efficient cookstoves for briquettes identified.
Local artisans receive technical skills in fabrication of efficient cookstoves
Training of trainers concept established to pass on knowledge transfer to other artisans
Internal management structures of GARA improved for enhanced access to international funding

Capacity development

IKI Small Grants supports Gum Arabic and Resins Association (GARA) in their organisational capacity development through:

Reviewing and updating current organisational policies and procedures
Training on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for efficient cookstoves, firewood, charcoal, and carbonised briquettes
Training on lobbying and advocacy for natural resources management and climate actions

About the organisation

Gum Arabic and Resins Association (GARA) is a membership organisation founded in 1996 and registered by the Registrar of Societies in Kenya in 1997 to serve the interests of the various stakeholders in addressing challenges in the gums and resins sub-sector.

GARA promotes the development of non-timber forest products value chains in Kenya. Its strategies include capacity building, research, technology and innovations, policy advocacy and market development. GARA has been working in partnership with national and international partners, implementing projects with a focus on development of non-timber forest products value chains including the project “Improving Framework Conditions and Skills for Private Sector Development in Biofuel Value Chain in Kenya (Biofuel4Kenya)”.