Improved Cookstoves

The India Improved Cookstoves Project is a 10-year clean cooking and carbon credit programme aimed at deploying 1 million high-efficiency cookstoves across key high-impact states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam.

The project targets rural and peri-urban households that continue to rely on traditional biomass-based cooking methods such as firewood, dung, and agricultural residues. By replacing inefficient three-stone fires and traditional stoves with improved cookstove technologies, the programme will significantly reduce household air pollution, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The deployment strategy focuses on high biomass dependency regions, low clean cooking penetration, and strong carbon additionality, particularly in tribal belts, forest fringe communities, and economically underserved districts.

Led by Saathealth India, the project will be implemented through a robust network of NGOs and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), including:

• Anubhuti Trust
• ASVSS
• ECONET
• FREA Akshara
• GMVS
• Shristi
• Mahila Sewa
• Spandan Samaj Seva
• Additional regional grassroots partners

These organizations bring deep last-mile access and community trust, and will be responsible for:

• Community mobilization and awareness campaigns
• Stove distribution and user training
• After-sales service and adoption reinforcement
• Data collection and monitoring for carbon verification

The project will also collaborate with state-level rural livelihood missions, self-help group (SHG) networks, and clean energy enterprises to accelerate scale and adoption.

Verra VCS – VM0050 (Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cookstoves)

The project integrates enhanced integrity measures to ensure eligibility for high-quality carbon markets and compliance buyers:

• Conservative application of fraction of Non-Renewable Biomass (fNRB) values tailored to state-specific conditions
• Rigorous fuel consumption testing, including Kitchen Performance Tests (KPTs) and Controlled Cooking Tests (CCTs)
• Deployment of digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) systems for stove usage tracking
• Alignment with host-country authorization requirements under Article 6 (where applicable)
• Full transparency and traceability through recognized carbon registries

The project adopts a targeted deployment approach, prioritizing regions with strong need, scalability, and carbon impact potential:

• Maharashtra (Tribal & Forest Regions):
  High reliance on firewood; strong SHG networks enable scalable distribution
• Madhya Pradesh (Central Tribal Belt):
  Significant biomass dependency and low clean cooking penetration; high additionality potential
• West Bengal (Rural & Delta Regions):
  Continued use of traditional stoves despite LPG access; opportunity for sustained adoption
• Assam (Northeast & Tea Garden Communities):
  High fuelwood use, supply chain challenges, and underserved populations

This geographic focus ensures a balance between scale efficiency, implementation feasibility, and carbon integrity.

• Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through decreased biomass combustion
• Improved indoor air quality, reducing respiratory and health risks
• Lower fuel consumption and household expenditure
• Reduced time burden on women for fuel collection
• Generation of high-integrity, CORSIA-aligned carbon credits
• Contribution to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including climate action, health, gender equality, and poverty alleviation

The Uganda Improved Cookstoves Project is a 10-year clean cooking and carbon credit programme designed to deploy high-efficiency cookstoves across priority high-impact districts in Uganda. The project will focus on underserved and high biomass-dependent regions including Northern, West Nile, Karamoja, Eastern, and selected Central and Western districts.

The programme aims to replace traditional three-stone fires and inefficient charcoal stoves with improved cookstove technologies, significantly reducing household air pollution, fuelwood consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

With a targeted scale of 500,000 – 1,000,000 cookstoves, the project prioritizes districts with low current penetration, high firewood dependency, and strong additionality potential, such as Gulu, Kitgum, Lira, Yumbe, Moroto, and Soroti.

The project will be implemented through a consortium of local NGOs, Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), and last-mile distributors, supported by UGANDA NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON CLEAN COOKING (UNACC) and other national energy access stakeholders and international development partners.

Implementation will leverage:

• Existing NGO and EnDev-aligned networks in Eastern Uganda
• Community-led distribution models in Northern and Karamoja regions
• Private-sector stove distributors in peri-urban Central and Western Uganda

These partners will drive:

• Community sensitization and behavior change
• Stove distribution and after-sales support
• Monitoring and data collection for carbon verification

Verra VCS – VM0050 (Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cookstoves)

The project incorporates enhanced integrity measures to ensure eligibility for high-quality carbon markets, including:

• Conservative application of fraction of Non-Renewable Biomass (fNRB) values tailored to Uganda’s regional profiles
• Rigorous fuel consumption testing (Kitchen Performance Tests and Controlled Cooking Tests)
• Digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) systems to track stove usage and performance
• Host country authorization under Article 6, where applicable
• Full registry transparency and traceability of issued credits

The project is designed around a “priority gap” deployment strategy, targeting:

• Northern Uganda (Gulu, Kitgum, Lira, Pader):
  High firewood dependence, low programme saturation, and strong carbon additionality
• West Nile (Yumbe, Moyo):
  High biomass demand, low electrification, and proximity to humanitarian settlements
• Karamoja (Moroto, Kotido, Kaabong, Napak):
  Extremely underserved region with severe fuel stress and strong SDG impact potential
• Eastern Uganda (Soroti, Tororo, Bugiri):
  Established NGO presence and supply chains enabling rapid scale-up
• Central & Western Uganda (Luweero, Nakaseke, Ntungamo, Kabale):
  Expansion into peri-urban and moderately saturated markets with proven adoption potential

• Significant reduction in deforestation and biomass consumption
• Lower household air pollution, improving health outcomes
• Reduced fuel expenditure and collection burden, especially for women
• Generation of high-integrity carbon credits aligned with global compliance markets
• Contribution to multiple SDGs, including health, climate action, gender equality, and poverty reduction

The Philippines Improved Cookstoves Project is a 10-year clean cooking and carbon credit programme aimed at deploying over 1.5 million high-efficiency cookstoves across priority regions with high reliance on wood and charcoal.

The project targets rural and peri-urban households that continue to depend on solid fuels, particularly in geographically dispersed and underserved island regions. By replacing traditional biomass-based cooking methods with improved cookstoves, the programme will significantly reduce household air pollution, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The deployment strategy prioritizes regions with high solid-fuel usage, strong feasibility for scale, and significant carbon abatement potential, including MIMAROPA, BARMM, Zamboanga Peninsula, Caraga, Eastern Visayas, and Northern Mindanao.

The project will be implemented through a network of local NGOs, social enterprises, cooperatives, and community-based organizations (CBOs) with strong last-mile reach across island geographies.

Implementation will leverage:

• Regional development organizations and rural cooperatives
• Community health workers and women’s groups for awareness and adoption
• Local distributors and micro-entrepreneurs for stove dissemination
• Partnerships with government rural development and energy access programmes

These partners will support:

• Community engagement and behavioral change campaigns
• Stove distribution, installation, and user training
• After-sales service and maintenance
• Data collection for monitoring and carbon verification

Verra VCS – VM0050 (Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cookstoves)

The project incorporates enhanced safeguards to ensure high-integrity carbon credit generation and compliance market eligibility:

• Conservative application of fraction of Non-Renewable Biomass (fNRB) based on regional biomass profiles
• Robust fuel-use testing through Kitchen Performance Tests (KPTs) and Controlled Cooking Tests (CCTs)
• Deployment of digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) systems for real-time usage tracking
• Alignment with host-country authorization requirements under Article 6 (where applicable)
• Full registry transparency and traceability of issued carbon credits

The project adopts a regionally targeted rollout strategy, focusing on areas with the highest clean cooking gaps and scalability potential:

• MIMAROPA (Region IV-B):
  Dispersed island communities with high dependence on wood and charcoal; strong initial entry point
• Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM):
  Large underserved population with high biomass reliance and strong development impact potential
• Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX):
  Significant rural population and strong feasibility for clustered deployment
• Caraga (Region XIII):
  High forest dependence and biomass usage; strong carbon additionality
• Eastern Visayas (Region VIII):
  Post-disaster regions with energy access gaps and strong NGO presence
• Northern Mindanao (Region X):
  Large addressable population with scalable distribution potential
• Western Visayas (Region VI):
  High household density with continued use of traditional fuels
• Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR):
  Remote highland communities with persistent biomass dependence

The project will follow a phased scale-up approach to optimize operational efficiency and adoption:

• Pilot Year (2026):
  Deployment of ~152,000 cookstoves across 3–4 pilot provinces in 2 high-priority regions
• Scale Year 1 (2027):
  Expansion to ~305,000 additional households, extending into new provinces
• Scale Year 2 (2028):
  Deployment of ~457,000 additional cookstoves across remaining priority regions
• Scale Year 3 (2029):
  Final scale-up of ~610,000 households, reaching full programme scale

Total Target: ~1,524,000 households

• Significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from avoided biomass burning
• Improved household air quality, reducing respiratory health risks
• Lower fuel costs and reduced reliance on wood and charcoal
• Reduced time burden for fuel collection, particularly for women
• Generation of high-integrity, CORSIA-aligned carbon credits
• Contribution to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including climate action, health, gender equality, and poverty reduction