NOTICE

This edition of Boiling Point includes several articles on Solar Energy. Developments in photo-voltaic technology are still of very limited use for cooking in the developing countries but may offer hope for the future. Solar water heaters can save fuel in cooking, particularly for community use and can be very simple and low cost. Opposing views are presented on the relative merits of charcoal and wood fuels and their overall fuel efficiencies.

BP24 was scheduled to have smoke pollution as its main theme, but we have received so many papers on the subject that a special issue on smoke will be published at the end of May and will be sent to all our readers. It contains Dr Kirk Smith's article on the development of stove programmes in recent times and the changing motivations of stove workers. The renewed concern with smoke pollution results from the increased understanding of the dangers to the health of women and children from biomass fuel cooking.

Later this year we shall be carrying out a survey of our readers opinions of Boiling Point. If it is to be of real benefit to stove workers in the field, we need to know more about your interests, your work and contacts, your facility with English or French, the type of articles you prefer - practical, technical, marketing, sociological etc. We have now grown to 40 pages and production involves considerable use of resources. The effectiveness of Boiling Point needs to be evaluated. Your comments are invited.