Tsotso Stove Programme

Summary

Local leaders in rural Manicaland raised concerns about deforestation driven by households' dependence on firewood. The Tsotso Stove Programme, delivered by the Environmental Management Agency, responded by supporting the rollout of fuel-efficient stoves that need far less wood to cook. The work linked forest protection with household energy efficiency, and with reducing the long firewood journeys carried mainly by women and girls, freeing time for education and productive activities.

Context

In many rural households, firewood is the main source of energy for cooking and heating. Where alternatives such as electricity or gas are unaffordable or unavailable, demand for wood puts steady pressure on nearby woodland.

The problem

Deforestation here was not simply a matter of awareness. Households depended on firewood because they had few affordable options. The cost of that dependence fell unevenly: women and girls typically spend the most time collecting wood, and that time grows as nearby trees disappear.

The question we asked

Can reducing household demand for firewood ease pressure on forests while also reducing the time burden on women and girls?

Approach

The programme began from the concerns of local leaders rather than from an external agenda. It supported the adoption of fuel-efficient Tsotso stoves, which are designed to burn small pieces of wood efficiently, alongside environmental education and awareness work in the communities involved.

What changed

The intervention eased pressure on local forests and helped reduce the long firewood journeys faced by women and girls, freeing time for education and productive activities.

Limitations

We publish what this case cannot yet show, so others can build on it accurately.

Reductions in wood use and time savings need to be measured over several seasons to be confirmed.
Stove adoption depends on continued use and maintenance, which should be followed up.
Efficient stoves reduce demand but do not by themselves address commercial wood harvesting or land clearing.

What we learnt

Environmental behaviour is shaped by economic necessity; interventions must address the necessity, not only the behaviour.
Starting from community concerns produced a more relevant response than a conservation-only approach would have.
Gender is central to energy and environment outcomes, not a side issue.

Why it matters beyond this case

The case shows why environmental interventions need to address the socioeconomic conditions that shape environmental behaviour. Protecting forests in such settings is as much about household energy and gender as it is about trees.

Questions for further research

How much firewood do households save in practice, across seasons?

How is the time saved by women and girls actually used?

What combination of stoves, woodlots and alternatives offers the most durable reduction in forest pressure?