Hestian Innovation

Currently, villagers in Malawi use traditional ‘three-stone’ fires for home cooking and traditional inefficient wood-fuelled barns for curing tobacco. 

Hestian’s projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving efficiency in non-renewable biomass (wood) used for: (i) rural household cooking and heating; and (ii) curing tobacco from smallholder farms. 

This is achieved through the dissemination of fuel-efficient cook stoves and rocket barns.

An integrated strategy not only focuses on the production, marketing and use of fuel-saving devices, but also the application of health-protecting and energy-saving-related techniques by their users.

Improved Stoves promoted by Hestian reduce firewood consumption by about 40% compared to traditional 3-stone fires. With improved kitchen management, such as proper drying and cutting up of the fuelwood, savings can reach 60%. Stoves can save up to 80% of firewood from trees if agricultural residues are used. 

Hestian also promotes the use of integrated food and energy systems, such as pigeon peas, that can be used as food and fuel, and can also fix nitrogen in soils.