Environmental research

Southern and Eastern parts of Bara district are one of the most firewood deficit areas of Nepal. Due to the firewood crisis, local people are forced to burn agricultural residues, cattle dung and fallen leaves to meet their fuel requirement for cooking and heating purposes. Excessive use of the biomass has resulted in extreme carbon emission from the local households, sometimes resulting in fire hazards. Traditionally, women are mainly responsible and therefore involved in collecting fuel sources that has added an additional drudgery to them. Their time for searching livelihood options are also engaged turning in to living with many difficulties particularly for poor families. Realizing the fact, GEF SGP supported Project introduced rice husk stove as substitute of the traditional fuel and introduced it in Purainiya VDC of Bara district in 2007. The technology was well accepted by the local beneficiaries and stakeholders appreciated it very much as well. With the small available resources, the project was successful in distributing 230 stoves and also demonstrated to produce locally. The stoves become very popular and started to larger scale production in Bhairahawa (west Nepal). The project aim to further expand the production of ricehusk stove with some modification in its design, raw material. It will also try to promote private manufactures by providing training and basic manufacturing equipment.

Nepal