Eco Factor: Sustainable stove crafted from locally sourced scrap steel.
Designed by Douglas Schaller, Ara Acle and Jill Holm, the Bamako Stove is an inexpensive stove to be crafted in Mali from local materials by traditional blacksmiths. The stove is designed as an efficient alternative to the currently used “three stone” open fire as the stove reduces wood consumption. It is made from scrap steel with a protective outer housing, an insulating skirt and an aluminum heat exchange ring. Wood is fed through a front chute, which is easily removed for cleaning. Nested imported cooking pots serve to steam millet, the region’s staple food.
Implementing the Bamako stove could create a domino effect in which multiple problems would be addressed and many would benefit. Income generated by selling produce from the gardens could repay microloans and buy farming aids such as plows and oxen to replace hand-working the fields with only a rudimentary hoe. Blacksmiths in Bamako could receive increased business. Local residents trained as traveling salespeople (approximately 6 persons) could gain new employment. Malian rural families could gain vitamins from the vegetables produced by the gardens and have better health (including fewer lung ailments from inhaled smoke). Villages experience less soil erosion and more productive cropland. The overall result could affect entire villages and result in major land resource conservation.
Thanks: [Douglas Schaller]
