Although the stove has not been very popular over the years, frequent power cuts and costly paraffin and gas prices are making people think again about how best to cook.
The tsotso stove is a fuel-efficient stove made from sheet metal. It has a fire grate and a removable bottom grid made from wire. The body of the stove is filled with vermiculite to increase the heat and provide more stability.
They cost around $40 and need only a few twigs to make a fire for cooking or heating. It’s estimated that the stove halves the amount of wood needed – something that also helps in the fight against deforestation. The current rate at which trees are being felled is unsustainable, especially in rural areas where trees like musasa, mufuti, muunze, and munhunga are being cut down on a daily basis.
But there’s another important benefit to the rocket stove concept – they reduce the time that women need to gather firewood and, because there is less smoke, protect families from respiratory diseases.
Post published in: News