Efficient cookstove project brings relief to forests, boosts incomes

Muheza. More than 700 households and business premises in Mlesa Village, Muheza District, Tanga Region, have been equipped with improved cookstove technology.

The energy-efficient stoves, which consume less firewood, have enabled residents of Mlesa and neighbouring communities around the Amani Nature Forest Reserve to ease pressure on forest resources by reducing tree cutting for fuel.

Speaking on Friday, July 18, 2025, during a visit by the Board of Trustees of the Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation Endowment Fund (EAMCEF), the project’s financier, beneficiaries highlighted how the stoves have significantly cut their firewood usage.

One of the beneficiaries, a local food vendor, Ms Sophia Khatibu, said the improved stove allows her to cook using far less firewood than before.

“As you can see, I’m using just one large and one small piece of firewood. Previously, we used the traditional three-stone stove, which required a lot of wood. This new stove helps me save on firewood costs for my business,” she said.

She added that, beyond saving firewood, the stoves emit very little smoke, thereby reducing the risk of respiratory complications.

The local group producing the stoves' chairperson, Ms Monika Joseph, said they have made 703 stoves for households and businesses in the village so far.

She noted the project has reduced the number of visits villagers make to the forest to collect firewood.

“Through this project, we’ve managed to protect the environment because fewer people are now entering the forest. We also generate income from producing the stoves, although we sell them at an affordable price so that our fellow villagers can benefit,” she said.

“Previously, many people went into the forest every Wednesday and Saturday, each time collecting three bundles of firewood. Now they only go once a week for two bundles,” she added.

Ms Joseph said villagers have also begun planting trees, especially spice trees like cinnamon, which can later be harvested for firewood, further reducing dependence on forest resources.

The Amani Nature Forest Reserve Acting Conservator, Mr Nanzia Charles, said the project is empowering communities surrounding the reserve to shift towards cleaner energy solutions and reduce deforestation.

“We’re grateful to EAMCEF for supporting various community-led projects that have lessened the strain on the forest. The reserve is now more secure. Mining activities have stopped, and we continue to enhance patrols and boundary protections,” he said.

Earlier, the EAMCEF Board chairman, Mr Jasper Makala, said the visit aimed to assess the implementation of projects funded by the organisation and executed by local communities.

He affirmed the board’s support for the government’s efforts to promote clean energy, noting that improved cookstoves represent a critical step forward.

He reiterated EAMCEF’s commitment to supporting the government across multiple sectors.

Mr Makala added that the fund will continue to raise awareness of clean energy options to reduce communities’ dependence on forests, which poses both environmental and health risks.

“Our goal is to collaborate with the government in improving household incomes while protecting forests. That’s why most of our initiatives are forest-related. We’ve supported fish farming, avocado cultivation, and now the rollout of improved cookstoves,” he said.

Besides the stove project, the fund is implementing other conservation initiatives, including aquaculture and avocado farming, to reduce reliance on forest resources.

These projects are currently underway in 20 villages across five local government authorities bordering the Amani Nature Forest Reserve.

EAMCEF was established to provide grants for launching community-friendly conservation initiatives in areas surrounding the country’s nine nature forest reserves.