Enhancing food security and

livelihoods through access to fuel-

efficient technology in Ethiopia

WFP works to ensure that the food assistance it

provides can be consumed as safely and

nutritiously as possible. While cooking seems a safe

activity, in many circumstances, especially in

humanitarian settings, it poses serious health,

safety and environmental risks. Many of WFP’s

target populations live in countries prone to natural

hazards, with high levels of environmental

degradation.

The Fuel Efficient Stoves for Ethiopia

Programme of Activity is a voluntary small-scale

energy efficiency initiative, registered under the

Clean Development Mechanism (as part of the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change, or UNFCCC) that addresses problems

related with cooking and energy needs of food

insecure populations in rural Ethiopia, living in a

fragile or highly degraded ecosystems. As part of

WFP’s food assistance programmes, this initiative

aims to distribute approximately 200,000 fuel

efficient cook-stoves to food insecure people in

Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, the Southern Nations

Nationalities and Peoples (SNNPR) and Somali

regions, as well as to refugee camps in Gambela,

Benishangul and Afar.

This initiative has been certified with the Gold

Standard, the most widely respected and rigorous

certification standard globally for carbon offset

projects. In addition to ensuring the project

reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the Gold

Standard guarantees that it provides benefits to the

local population, including higher community

involvement, positive impacts on their well-being

and their environment.

Project Overview/Aim

The Fuel Efficient Stoves for Ethiopia

Programme of Activity started in 2014, and has

completed the first issuance of Certified Emission

Reduction under the Clean Development

Mechanism (CDM). Implemented through WFP’s

Managing Environmental Resources to Enable

Transitions to More Sustainable Livelihoods and the

School Meals programmes, Fuel Efficient Stove

project aims to achieve the following:

Ethiopia Improved Cook-stove Initiative

World Food Programme

Ethiopia Improved Cook-stove Initiative

Distribution of fuel-efficient cook-stoves

to 100,000 food insecure households in

environmentally degraded areas in rural

Ethiopia.

Introduction of two types of improved stoves

(Mirt and Tikikil) to cover the main types of

cooking needs of households (injera baking

and cooking of sauces).

Improved the energy efficiency of cooking

fuel.

Potential emission reduction is up to 43,097

tCO2e per year over the course of the

project. This is equivalent to the emission of

21,548 middle size cars or 3,747 West

Europeans per year.

Improve beneficiaries’ livelihoods and food

security by reducing fuel-wood consumption

for cooking purposes, and decreasing the

extent of deforestation and land degradation.

Diminishing indoor air pollution from wood

smoke and improving health conditions of

women and small children.

Diminishing households’ expenditures on

fuelwood.

Highlights from the first monitoring

report of the implementation of the

first CPA

In 2014, Ethipia Country-office, with the support of

Atmosfair, conducted a monitoring exercise as part

of the CDM registration for the first Component

Project Activity (CPA), with the following findings:

Households have access to affordable and

clean energy services, with total of 22,168

cook-stoves distributed in the Amhara region

(East Belesa and Ebenat), reaching 11,084

households.

People’s level of acceptance of the improved

cook-stove is 100% for Mirt and 96.7% for

Tikikil.

100% of households perceived better air

quality in kitchens due to the use of the

improved cook-stove.

100% of households confirmed that they

need less time and/or less money due to

reduced amount of fuelwood needed for

cooking.

The stoves have reduced the quantity of

fuelwood used by 50%

The improved cook-stoves are locally

produced, generating around 382 new jobs in

the area.

Efficiency gain due to the adoption of the

improved cook-stove is 60.64% for Mirt and

65.56% for Tikikil, in comparison with the

traditional three-stone-fire.

Each fuel-efficient cook-stove reduces

approx. 1.2 tCO2e (Tikikil stove) and 1,4

tCO2e (Mirt stove) per year over the course

of its lifetime.

A total of 24, 458 tCO2e has been reduced

during the first monitoring period from

15/11/2014 – 14/11/2015.

Partnerships and relevance at country

level

The initiative supports the Government’s Climate

Resilient Green Economy Strategy and the Fuel

Wood-Efficient Stoves Investment Plan 2012-2015,

both of which identify the distribution of fuel

efficient stoves as one of the major initiatives to

increase household income, reduce deforestation,

reduce indoor air pollution and abate GHG

emissions. WFP collaborates closely with both

regional governments and relevant national

ministries, such as the Ministry of Water and

Energy, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of

Education, and the Ministry of Environment and

Forestry, as well key stakeholders such as the

German Corporation for International Cooperation

(GIZ). Distribution is based upon WFP’s

accumulated experience through MERET, the

Refugee Programme and the School Meals

Programme, creating synergies with their natural

resource management, protection and education

activities.

Issuance of CERs under the first CPA

Next Steps

The issuance of 24,458 Certified Emission

Reduction (CERs) has been authorized by the

UNFCCC. Currently the CERs are labelled with the

Gold Standard label. As a next step it has to be

decided if the process for the second monitoring

period (15/11/2015 – 14/11/2016) shall start in

2017.

Revelant resources

Detailed information of the project: Programme of

Activities

Information about methodologies used and CDM

registration: Fuel Efficient Stoves for Ethiopia Programme

of Activity

Detailed information of the First Component of

Programme of Activities (CPA 001)

Gold standard project information and documentation Fuel

efficient stoves for Ethiopia PoA

World Food Programme tania.osejo@wfp.org/kassu.kebede@wfp.org December 2016