FAO Stoves Meeting

The objective of the 3 day stove meeting held at FAO last October was to provide a preliminary assessment of the impact of wood burning stove programmes, particularly -in terms of fuel economy, acceptability of stoves, and speed of diffusion, of time requirement and scale of action'. It was hoped that this preliminary evaluation would 'ultimately provide planners and policy makers with some concrete indications of the real potential of wood burning stove programmes'. At the conclusion of the meeting the participants recommended the development of guidelines for the assessment of stove programmes. It was felt that one of the principal factors that is affecting the impact of stove programmes is the lack of resources and methodology for assessment. FAO have responded to this need by commissioning ITDG and other participants at the meeting to develop the guidelines. It is planned that a select group will examine the prepared guidelines at a follow-up meeting to be convened in Nepal during 1985. Case studies from Kenya, Nepal and Guatemala are to be prepared to illustrate how the guidelines can be used.