Co-marketing improved Cook Stove and Briquette production
Ikore, together with its partner, ChananHill, is working with a network of women living with disability in Northern Nigeria to develop the supply chain of improved cookstoves and briquettes to offer households a safer, cleaner, and efficient cooking energy. Born out of the passion to reduce the reliance on firewood for cooking and the resulting effects - desertification, health hazards, environmental pollution - we are providing technical support and market linkage to women producing briquettes and co-marketing improved cook stoves.
Whereas improved cookstoves have been around for over a decade, households are not motivated to substitute their current efficient stoves for the improved ones – either they have no knowledge or do not believe there is any cost savings from switching to improved stoves. Also, to get the best value energy-wise and cooking time, from the improved cookstoves, the use of briquettes is crucial, yet briquettes are not readily available, so farmers are unwilling to change
There is limited knowledge about the production and use of briquettes as an alternative to firewood and charcoal in the rural areas of northern Nigeria. Lack of awareness has also contributed to the continued use of firewood and charcoal as cooking fuel which in turn contributes to deforestation and Green House Gas (GHG) emission, and other health hazards associated with smoke emitted from its use.
Hence, we are channeling efforts to provide requisite knowledge needed for sustainable production of briquettes as well as increase in market demand while averting the felling over 10MT of trees in the long run and generating employment for otherwise marginalized groups in the society.