‘Light it up’ Improved Cooking Technique
Project details
The first Gold Standard project of its kind in the world, this innovative behaviour-change programme teaches local communities in South Africa to burn coal differently in order to be more fuel efficient, thereby reducing carbon emissions. The technique, called Basa Magogo, means ‘Light it up! Grandmother’ In Zulu. In addition to the emission reductions, the Basa Magogo technique also improves visibility and reduces health risks by producing less smoke.
- Region
- South Africa
- Project type
- Domestic behaviour change
- Standard
- Gold Standard (GS)
Geographical location:
The ‘Light it up’ Improved Cooking Technique project covers three of the micro-scale projects that are teaching the Basa Magogo technique. These include the suburbs of the Emfuleni local municipality, located in the southern part of Gauteng province.
By changing behaviour to encourage adoption of the Basa Magogo ignition technique for cooking, heating space and water and ironing, approximately 50% less coal is used to produce the same amount of heat as previously created by the old technique. One of the first monitoring reports from the project, which began in 2009, showed that a household which converts to Basa Magogo saves on average 300.7kg of coal a year. Monitoring of household coal use and coal merchant surveys are used to assess emission reductions. Studies by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa also show that the time needed to reach cooking temperature using Basa Magogo was 10 minutes compared to 60 minutes for the conventional heating method.
In addition to emission reductions, Basa Magogo leads to a reduction in indoor and ambient air pollution, better visibility and reduced health risk. This is because, with the heat on top, particulate matter and volatile compounds are burnt off when they pass through the fire, making it more efficient and cleaner.
Throughout the project areas, a conventional ignition technique is predominantly used to start fires for cooking, water and space heating and ironing. The technique involves starting the fire at the bottom of the stove or brazier with wood or other ignition material and then adding coal on top. The fire then smoulders for up to an hour before the coal is burned through and heat is available at the top. This technique is pervasive and users are resistant to change without active and focused measures to promote an alternative.
In order to implement the demonstration and monitoring plan, area leaders, team leaders, demonstrators and survey field workers were hired in all the locations where the project takes place. The team members are hired locally and their incomes are generated through carbon finance. In years two to 10, the project is entirely financed by the sale of Gold Standard VERs, which are what enables it to be economically feasible.
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