Fiji Clean Cookstove Project

As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), global temperature changes of 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures and beyond would have catastrophic impacts on the environment, infrastructure, and livelihoods of Fiji and its people. In recent years Fiji has been exposed to regular devastating cyclone events that have caused loss of life, and significant environmental infrastructure and economic damage.

24% of Fiji’s 924,000 people live below the poverty line, with many rural communities dependent on subsistence-level agriculture and local forest ecosystems for food and resources. 70% of Fiji’s energy supply is generated by fossil fuels, and around half of households use open fires in their homes for cooking. For rural populations however, this number is higher – with around 69.6% of households burning wood from local mangrove and terrestrial forests for fires in their homes. This fuel is used particularly for traditional ‘three-stone’ fires – an energy-intensive cooking method that creates substantial carbon emissions; increases indoor air pollution from wood smoke; and increases fire and smoke related health disorders for predominantly women and children.

Deforestation from firewood collection adds further pressure on local forest ecosystems, the health of which can drastically change how communities survive increasing extreme weather events including cyclonic winds, storm surges and flooding, and coastal erosion.

With limited resources available in Fiji, our cookstoves are manufactured and imported from Vietnam. Together with our local partner Kasabias we have distributed portable cookstoves throughout 15 regions on the main island of Viti Levu and support communities with continuous monitoring, enabling ongoing education, repairs and maintenance, and complaints handling as required.

Climate Action
This project aims to reduce 268 415 tonnes of greenhouse gasses each year, from the 53,473 portable cookstoves already distributed throughout the island of Viti Levu.

Community Development
Traditionally women manage the gathering of firewood cooking responsibilities, and with a clean cookstove in place these women are now able to spend more time with their families, and spend more time engaging in other economic activities that diversify their income and improve their quality of life. The project also supports increased economic activity, technology development, and cost savings from reduced firewood consumption.

Healthcare
Clean cookstoves improved indoor air quality as they reduce smoke and smoke-related health issues. This project supports these outcomes at scale, and also reduce other fire-related hazards and health issues.

Conservation Impact
Reduced carbon emissions from declining firewood consumption supports environmental preservation and natural recovery of forests and local ecosystem services. Natural regrowth of both mangrove and terrestrial forests improves resilience towards current and devastating climate impacts including from cyclones, flooding and erosion.