Accra, June 28, GNA – A total of 180,000 rural smallholder farmers nationwide are to benefit from the subsidised Improved Cook Stove (ICS) project starting June 2024.
The transition to ICS technology seeks to reduce smoke and toxic emissions from traditional stoves in those households and significantly decrease the risk of respiratory diseases, especially among females.
Studies conducted by the Health Effect Institute Ghana Working Group flagged that household air pollution from the burning of solid fuels for cooking contributes to nearly 10,000 deaths each year in Ghana.
Mr Emmanuel Osea-Nyarko, the General Manager of Envirofit International Ghana Limited, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, stated that 13,000 had been given out to rural smallholder farmers in Ashanti and Upper West Region during the pilot stage.
“We did the initial distribution with our partners more than two years ago. The beneficiaries who were mostly women prior to the distribution complained of conditions, including frequent cough, itchy eyes and headache. The condition of many has improved and this can be linked to the use of ICS,” he said.
Mr Osea-Nyarko, explained that the ICS technology, reduced biomass-charcoal, firwood consumption by more than 60 per cent.
He said, “This leads to time savings for those who collect firewood, usually women. They can now spend more than 2.5 hours per week on other economic and income-generating activities.
“This in turn leads to additional income for the whole household. Those who buy their cooking fuel save money (typically $160 per year for firewood or $240 for charcoal)”.
Mr Michael Abrokwa, Klik Foundation, said as part of the project, a dedicated fund in the form of a Village Loan and Savings Association (VLSA) had been established to enable access to a continued revolving consumer credit fund.
Smallholder farmers in the project area would participate by purchasing an “Envirofit” stove, which replaces the traditional way of cooking.
Farmers have the opportunity to pay for the entire stove upfront and or be given the possibility to pay the money back in small increments through the Village Loan and Savings Association.
“Access to credit for smallholder farmers will be facilitated through a partner network of cocoa-buying companies and agricultural cooperatives that provide inputs and purchase the crop.
“The innovative financing mechanism further empowers farmers to take care of their own economic development, by providing loans to further expand and develop their farms, or any other business venture. This market-based approach strengthens the resilience and continuity of the activity beyond Klik support.
Mr Daniel Lamptey, an Official at the Ghana Carbone Market, said the clean cook stove project was a product linked to the Ghana and Switzerland bilateral agreement in 2019.
He explained that the implementation of the agreement had established a framework within which Switzerland could credit emission reductions through cooperative activities with other countries.
The project co-developed by ACT Group and Envirofit and supported by the Swiss-based KliK Foundation, would see a total of 1.36 million tCO2e avoided through that activity by 2030.
GNA