Tao Payat: The story of a super stove

Almost half of the world’s population still uses polluting, inefficient stoves that run on biomass to cook their food. Dependence on charcoal for cooking contributes to deforestation, and forces women and children to collect fuel. Together with producers, retailers, testing agencies and the government, SNV, in cooperation with ARMI, the Lao Ministry of Energy, the Dept of Science and Technology, and the University of Savannakhet are developing the market for cookstoves in Laos and improving women's livelihoods.

The goal of the Improved Cookstoves (ICS) programme is to produce 100,000 stoves by 2016, which would save more than 10 million kg of charcoal or 32 million kg of wood. The reduction is equal to the greenhouse gas emissions of 20,000 people flying from Vientiane to Amsterdam and back.

The programme has developed and promotes the Tao Payat stove that uses up to 20% less wood and charcoal than traditional stoves (such as the Tao Lai and Tao Dam). It produces less smoke and improves the health of thousands of women who work in Lao kitchens. As a founding member of the Global Alliance of Clean Cookstoves, SNV hopes to make these fuel-efficient stoves widely available throughout Lao following a market based approach.