Madagascar: Ethanol Cookstoves

Traditional cookstoves, which burn solid wood fuel for cooking and heating, can cause a significant strain on a country’s natural resources. In Madagascar, wood is the dominant household energy source—threatening the country’s forests, which are a substantial economic resource. Through results-based carbon finance payments, Ci-Dev is supporting the Government of Madagascar in its effort to promote ethanol as a clean cooking fuel to reduce deforestation.

Ci-Dev will purchase emission reductions, resulting from the distribution of 35,000 ethanol stoves and the continued use of sustainably produced ethanol by households. Ci-Dev financing will help to subsidize the cost of the stoves, allowing local partners to offer the stoves at an affordable price. In addition, Ci-Dev financing will help the local partner, Green Development, and the Government to train local communities and entrepreneurs in setting up their own ethanol micro-distilleries to produce and sell the fuel, which can be generated from sugar cane and other crops grown on degraded and disused land.

The program will demonstrate how carbon revenue can open a market for a sustainably produced clean cooking fuel and efficient cookstove.