Cooking

11. Fundamental Considerations

Cooking

In Senegal, 92% of households still use open fires or three rock stoves to prepare food (Hooper L. , et al., 2018). Inefficient cooking fires cause high exposure to smoke (Hooper L. , et al., 2018). Incomplete combustion will lead to household air pollution (HAP), which is associated with respiratory illness and an increased risk of death (A.G. Dagnachew et al., 2020). With traditional roles of working domestically, women are disproportionately facing higher risk of exposure to household air pollution.

Figure 3. Open fires and three rock stoves utilized in Senegal for cooking at the present period (Hooper L. et al., 2018)

12. Fundamental Considerations

Liquid propane gas (LPG) is the preferred alternative to the three-stone fire in rural Senegal (Hooper L. , et al., 2018). However, cost and space limitations are a significant barrier to popularising LPG stoves (Hooper L. , et al., 2018). Therefore, the Women's centre in Baghere will be adopting another cost-efficient and safe cooking solution—rocket stoves. The rocket stove is a widespread heat and cooking source in permaculture systems (Holmgren, 2016). Research has shown that unlike traditional open fire systems, the rocket stove offers complete wood combustion (Holmgren, 2016). Therefore, firewood consumption will be reduced by between 20-56% in local households (M. Njenga et al., 2016). Moreover, it is less likely to have smoke and particular manner produced from unburned woodfuel (Holmgren, 2016). The increased efficiency of wood fuels will minimise the use of unsafe fuel sources such as plastic objects (M. Njenga et al., 2016). Therefore, household exposure to dangerous smoke will be reduced. Moreover, a rocket stove can be built from commonly found materials (Holmgren, 2016). Additionally, a rocket stove tech can be extended ovens, cooktops, and hot-water systems (Holmgren, 2016). By increasing cooking efficiency across Africa, child mortality caused by HAP and pneumonia could be reduced by up to 50% by 2030 (A.G. Dagnachew et al, 2020). Meanwhile, up to 335-485 million tons of fuelwood could be saved annually (A.G. Dagnachew et al, 2020).

Rocket stove workshops run at the Womens House will enable this tech to spread throughout Baghere community and eventually further afield. By learning how to build and use rocket women will bring this tech into their household and communities..

Figure 4. Representation of the Rocket Stove System (diagram by authors the stoves,