Improving Traditional Stove Efficiency in Eritrea:
The Iron Mogogo Plate Testing and Promotion Project
A project proposal from the Eritrea Technical Exchange
 
Contents:
Introduction/Motivation
Goals/Objectives
Methods/Implementation
Outcomes/Evaluation
Project Budget
Conclusion
Introduction/Motivation

Eritrea is experiencing a rural energy crisis where demand for household energy has outstripped supply. Biomass, including wood, dung and crop residues, is the source for 80% of Eritrea's total energy use and is used primarily in the household.   Yet the average efficiency of biomass use is probably about 10%.  This combination of high demand aggravated by low use efficiency has contributed to deforestation, rural poverty and the rural energy shortage.

Since Eritrea's independence in 1993, a combination of measures and programs have been implemented to try to resolve the problems of unsustainable biomass fuel use.  First--since energy is lost when wood is converted to charcoal--Eritrea has instituted a ban on commercial charcoal sales.  Second, restrictions and licensing requirements have been placed on the harvesting and marketing of firewood.  These restrictions include a ban on harvesting of live wood, and the establishment of wood transport checkpoints along major roadways in order to make sure that regulations and licensing requirements are enforced.  Third, the Eritrean Department of Energy (E-DOE) has undertaken a national energy use survey in order to understand the scope and characteristics of the problem.  And fourth, the Department of Energy has established research programs in stove efficiency evaluation and promotion.

The research by the E-DOE has both characterized the scope of the Eritrean biomass energy supply problem and has indicated some possible solutions.  The national energy use survey indicated that about half of biomass is used for cooking the traditional bread, injera.  Meanwhile recent stove efficiency research has also found that the efficiency of wood stoves can be approximately doubled by using iron rather than clay mogogo plates [Van Buskirk, Teclai, & Negusse, 1998]. This indicates that by converting from clay to iron mogogo plates, Eritrean households can cook about twice as much injera with the same amount of  biomass fuel.

But there are several barriers to the use and adoption of high-efficiency iron mogogo plates in Eritrea.

The first barrier comes from the fact that iron or steel plates need special preparation before they can effectively cook injera. Injera is a non-sweet yeast-leavened pancake that is typically 30 to 60 centimeters in diameter.  It can be made from a wide range of grains, but is typically made from sorghum, or a grain indigenous to the Ethiopian Highlands called teff.  The bread has a spongy texture which comes from the bubbles that form in the batter during the cooking process.  The formation of these bubbles can depend sensitively on the details of the heat delivery to batter when it is poured on the cooking plate.  A thick clay cooking plate delivers heat consistently to the batter and this is conducive to the formation of a high-quality injera with a good spongy texture.  An iron plate which is prepared poorly will cool quickly when the batter is poured.  The sudden cooling will result in flat, low-quality injera. Recent E-DOE research has shown this problem to be resolvable.  The E-DOE research has shown that by using a plate more than 5 mm thick and by properly rusting and coating the surface of a steel plate with burnt vegetable oils, a metal cooking plate can produce acceptable quality injera.

The second barrier to the use of iron cooking plates comes from the expense and difficulty of  producing them.  In Eritrea, there are no commercial providers of thick iron cooking plates.  The plate preparation techniques are not widely known, and only a very few local metal shops are able to provide thick steel or iron plates with diameters of 50 cm or more.  Even when such plates are available, their cost exceeds U.S. $30. Thirty dollars is a very high price for an Eritrean testing an as-yet unpopular technology.  Therefore, the expense and difficulty of iron plate production keeps most Eritreans from experimenting with their use.  By demonstrating the use and efficiency of iron cooking plates, it should be possible to surmount this barrier.

The third barrier to the use of iron cooking plates is the fact that even when the plates are prepared properly, the quality of the injera produced is slightly less than than produced from thick clay plates.  It is not known at this time whether this is a large barrier to iron mogogo plate use.  Eritreans will inevitably weigh any wood savings they obtain against any perceived decrease in injera quality.  In order to guage the relative importance of quality and savings one must test iron cooking plate use with potential customers.

If barriers to efficient mogogo use can be removed, tremendous benefits can accrue.  Currently, Eritreans use approximately 2 million tons of biomass per year.  Of this amount about one half is wood.  Of the wood used in Eritrea, at least half is used for cooking injera.  The value of wood is relatively high, about $100/ton in the capitol, while it is virtually free in some parts of the country.  If the average value of wood is estimated at $30/ton, then a 10% adoption rate for high-efficiency stoves can result in the following annual value of wood saved:

50% X 10% X $30/ton X 1 million tons/year = $1.5 million/year

Recognizing this potentially large benefit from improved efficiency stoves, the Eritrea Technical Exchange (ETE) is organizing a project to remove barriers to the adoption of high-efficiency stoves.  The ETE will do this by organizing an Iron Mogogo Plate Testing And Promotion (IMPTAP) project.  The IMPTAP project will conduct field testing and evalution of iron mogogo plate performance, and will assist local Eritrean producers in the manufacture and promotion of iron mogogo plates.  Below we describe in detail  the IMPTAP project including its objectives, implementation plan, and budget.  

The Eritrea Technical Exchange (ETE) is a project of the International Collaborative for Science, Education , and the Environment  (ICSEE). The ICSEE is a 501 c(3) non-profit organization registered in the State of Massachusetts.
 
The Eritrea Technical Exchange has been working on development projects in Eritrea since 1995.  Our two most notable projects are establishment of the Eritrean national email network (in collaboration with local private and public service providers), and assistance to the Department of Energy in initiating and developing its research programs in renewable energy resource assessment and stove efficiency.

Our method of project implementation emphasizes multiple parallel implementation strategies in order to find an optimal sustainability model.  For example for computer networking we found that there were both advantages and disadvantages to both commercial supply of email services and to subsidized government email services.  An optimal and sustainable system combines the two types of services and encourages cooperation and informal coordination between different computer networking service providers.  The role of the Eritrea Technical Exchange (ETE) in the proposed IMPTAP project is to provide key inputs to overcome organizational and technical barriers, and to provide key technical assistance to both public and private entities.

Background

The utility of iron mogogo plates for cooking injera is not a new discovery.   Eritreans have used iron plates mogogo plates for decades in different contexts.  For the Kunama ethnic group in the Western Lowlands, iron plates (about 5 mm thick) are relatively common.  Iron plates were also commonly used during the independence war by the fighters in the field (where they used old tank covers).  And even now a few individuals in Asmara use iron plates for cooking.  These individuals have noticed that iron plate mogogos require less fuel, but these results are not commonly known in Eritrea.  So in spite of the savings in fuel, iron plates have not been widely adopted.

It is also true that there are several ways of increasing the efficiency of mogogos.  An alternative (or complement) to the use of iron plates is to redesign the mogogo stove so it more efficiently burns its fuel and delivers the heat to the underside of the cooking plate. While detailed results on the preformance of these stove designs are not yet available, they can probably result in similar fuel savings.

In addition there has already been some previous efforts at using and promoting improved efficiency stoves in Eritrea. Since 1995, German Technical Assistance (GTZ) has been promoting the use of iron mogogo plates in the Western Lowlands of Eritrea.  But their efforts have focused on one particular region, where wood supplies are relatively plentiful compared to other areas of Eritrea.

The Ministry of Agriculture also promotes a particular stove design that does not include a metal cooking plate.  While this may result in some fuel savings, ETE believes that further savings can accrue from the subsitution of the clay plate with an iron one.

The E-DOE research has shown a 30% to 50% energy savings on all types of mogogos resulting from the use of iron plates.  The mogogo types tested included electric mogogos, liquid petroleum gas (LPG--butane or propane gas) mogogos, and standard highland-style wood mogogos.  This indicates that even if other efficiency design improvements, the use of iron plates will result in further savings.

One concern with the adoption of iron mogogo plates is that it may economically displace some of the traditional producers of clay mogogo plates.  Manufacturers of clay mogogo plates are traditionally small women-run businesses in selected rural areas where the right type of clay is available.  The production of clay mogogo plates takes several weeks and involves a process of careful plate preparation and conditioning.  Similarly the final preparation of iron mogogo plates also requires a carefull and potentially time-consuming plate preparation process.  Women skilled in clay plate preparation have much to contribute in the preparation and marketing of  iron mogogo plates.  In the following project we therefore set aside some funding for the initiation and stimulation of small-scale women-run value-added iron plate preparation and marketing businesses.

Objectives and Approach

The overall objective of this project is to increase the rural standard of living in Eritrea by decreasing environmental degradation, and increasing the delivery of useful energy services to the rural household sector.  Specifically, it is hoped that improved efficiency in rural biomass cook stoves will improve the living conditions of the average Eritrean woman by decreasing the time and effort needed to collect wood and burn able dung, and by improving the environment in the household through decreased burning and smoke production.

We believe that in order to attain these larger objectives, it is helpful for Eritrea to receive outside assistance in removing barriers that exist for the production and adoption of improved cook stoves.  This assistance takes the form of technical and organizational support, demonstration and testing of improved stove technologies, and support for the production and commercialization of improved efficiency mogogo plates.

The strategy of the IMPTAP project is to evaluate and test these hypothesized barriers to iron mogogo plate use by documenting and evaluating the performance of iron plate mogogos when used by the general population.  IMPTAP will also document and resolve remaining iron cooking plate design problems which adversely impact injera quality.  Then based on the field performance and design information, a marketing promotion and production strategy for iron mogogo plates will be developed.  The promotion program for the improved efficiency stoves will be conducted in conjunction with private Eritrean producers.  At the conclusion of the project, local Eritrea producers will assume final responsibility for the production and promotion of iron mogogo plates. As iron plate mogogos are shown to be economically viable and sustainable for particular markets in Eritrea, local businesses will learn to produce and market such mogogos.

Therefore the specific objectives of this project are as follows:

Objective #1: To field test iron mogogo plates and to evaluate the quality of injera produced.
Objective #2: To measure actual household savings from iron mogogo plates.
Objective #3: To make improvements in iron mogogo plate design.
Objective #4: To promote use of iron mogogo plates through:
    (a) assisting private producers in the production of high quality plates.
    (b) advertising and publicizing iron plate performance.
 
Methods/Implementation
 
 

IMPTAP project will proceed in four phases:

Phase #1: Project preparation
Phase #2: Social acceptability and field efficiency tests.
Phase #3: Commercial supply, marketing and promotion
Phase #4: Reporting and project evaluation.

Each project phase is separate and distinct and theoretically can be implemented by separate individuals and organizations in series or in parallel. The different project phases and their corresponding tasks are described below:
 
Phase #1: Project  preparation tasks

The project preparation phase consists of formulating proposals and plans for the rest of the project.  It also includes identifying different project implementation partners from both the government, national NGO's, and the private sector.  In its final stage, the project preparation phase will set up the conditions and agreements for implementation of the later stages of the project.

The tasks for phase one of project implementation include the following:

  1. Letters to potential partners with copies of the project proposal and technical papers included.  The potential partners will be queried regarding the interest in participating in the project and the form of participation.  Potential partners include: Department of Energy (Minister, General Secretary, Energy Research and Training Center), Iron Foundries, University of Asmara, Ministry of Agriculture, NUEW-the National Union of Eritrean Women.
  2. Project planning trip where project organizers will visit Eritrea, evaluate potential partner participation, evaluate implementation plans, sign letters of cooperation with partners, define test marketing sites, etc.
Phase #2: Test marketing and field evaluation tasks

The social acceptability and field efficiency tests will consist of evaluating in the field with a variety of potential users the performance of iron mogogo plates.  Performance will be measured in terms of both the fuel used, and the quality of the injera produced.  The tests will include at least three sub phases. The first will be a demonstration sub phase.  During the demonstration, potential test participants try to cook injera on a demonstration iron plate mogogo to verify that the injera is possibly acceptable, and to verify that they are willing to participate in the test.  The second sub phase will be measurement of the injera fuel use and quality baseline, where participants measure and record current energy use and injera quality for the clay plate mogogos.  Meanwhile the third sub phase will be the iron plate test where the participants systematically measure injera quality and fuel use for an extended period for the iron mogogo plates.

The tasks for phase two of the project include:

  1. Village selection and agreement
  2. Selection of project participants and training of researchers and research assistants
  3. Demonstration of iron mogogo use
  4. Conduct of calibration phase of mogogo tests (details in appendix)
  5. Iron plate testing in villages/neighborhoods
  6. Periodic interviewing of test participants
  7. Redesign of iron plates and re-test of plates
Phase #3: Commercial supply, marketing, and promotion tasks

For the commercial supply, marketing and promotion phase, ETE will work with interested private and governmental iron mogogo plate producers to develop systematic methods for producing high quality plates, for improving and changing plate designs, for publicizing the benefits of iron plate use, and for setting reasonable prices and  financing of plate sales and distribution.

The tasks for phase three of the project include the following:

  1. Training for iron plate preparation
  2. Testing of cast iron plate design
  3. Selection of several commercial partners
  4. Test production
  5. Cost evaluation of iron plates
  6. Definition of promotional subsidy schedule/program if necessary
  7. Sales to test village customers
  8. Sales follow-up questionnaires
  9. Production scale-up
  10. Advertising and TV documentary promotion
Phase #4: Reporting and project evaluation tasks

In the final phase of the project ETE will document and publicize the results of the iron plate field tests and marketing and promotion efforts.  Documentation will include a detailed report on results made available to the Department of Energy and other interested agencies, documents and reports published on the Internet, and one to several technical papers submitted to academic journals (e.g. the Eritrean Studies Review).  Project success will be evaluated both in terms of reactions and responses of project partners in evaluation forms and meetings, and in terms of quantifiable measures such as fuel saved in field tests, the number of iron plates marketed and produced, the number of commercial producers recruited, and the rate of increase of iron plate production and sales.

The tasks for phase four of the project include the following:

  1. Production of research papers and reports including a paper for the Eritrean Studies Journal, Web Articles, and a detailed internal report with data sets.
  2. Village meeting to review iron plate acceptability and analysis of the village questionnaires
  3. Market evaluation and determination of acceptable price
  4. Project evaluation with project constituents including partner agencies, businesses, villages, and customers.
Outcomes/Evaluation

The IMPTAP project outcome can be classified into four categories.  These categories of project outcomes are described below:
 

 
From previous research, a 'Good' outcome is expected for the project.  But the project will have been worthwhile as long as the outcome is 'Acceptable' or better.  If we find that there are actually major problems, especially in the social acceptance and economic viability of the plates, then we may be forced to reconsider the use of iron mogogo plates as a stove efficiency improvement strategy.   But since at least portions of the Eritrean population already uses iron plates, we consider the 'Major Problems' outcome highly unlikely.
 
Several potential challenges may arise during the course of project implementation.  The following contingency table lists foreseeable problems and expected project responses during implementation:
 
Contingency Table of Potential Project Challenges
 
Potential Problem Moderate Case Response Extreme Case Response
Low Quality Injera Diversify the injera cookers 
Train injera cooks 
Diversify Plate Design 
Thicken Plate and Rust Coating
Completely Re-design Plate
Plate Production Problems Invest more money in plate production 
Extend training of plate producers 
Put more time into plate production issues
Use foreign produced plates
Visa & Project Permission Problems Plan at least 3-6 months for visas and permissions. Move portions of the research to the U.S. or arrange for partners to perform research by proxy.
Institutional Capacity and Human Resource Problems in Eritrea Lengthen training and organizational trips Hire more personnel under the project and send supervisorial personnel.
Logistical Delays Plan using a pessimistic logistical schedule. Resend materials that are delayed for too long.
Difficulty in Finding Production Partners Contract out production Organize production business
Difficulty in finding local research partners Pay local research partners and participants Organize local research organization
Plates too expensive Sell to limited markets and redesign to reduce costs Subsidize initial sales
Village resistance to participation Search longer for willing participant villages Pay village participants
 
 
Project Schedule:

Project scheduling will depend on coordination with the partner agencies.  Initially, we expect the preparation phase to take approximately four months, while the field testing and promotion stages should take approximately three months each.  The report writing and evaluation stage should take an additional two months leading to a total project period of about one year.

Project Deliverables:

Project deliverables shall include the following:
 

    1. Research report on field efficiency and wood use impact of iron mogogo plates.
    2. Research report on social acceptance of iron plate mogogos.
    3. Internal report on iron plate mogogo research.
    4. Report on production, cost, and market analysis of iron mogogo plates.
    5. Online report and data bank on iron plate mogogos.
    6. At least 30 households who have adopted iron mogogo plates for regular use.
    7. At least one commercial producer of iron mogogo plates established.
    8. Establishment of loan fund for small scale women run iron mogogo plate preparation businesses.
    9. Promotional brochure in both Tigrigna and Arabic on iron mogogo plates.
    10. Newspaper (Eritrea Profile) article on iron mogogo plates.
    11. Final project evaluation report.
The quality, quantity, and content of these project deliverables will be the product by which project success can be evaluated by funders, Eritrean partner institutions and the interested public.
 
Project Budget
 
Minimum funding for the IMPTAP project assumes a budget broken down according to the following categories:
 
Item Unit Cost Number
Total Cost
Travel:  U.S.-Eritrea $2500/trip 4 trips
$6,000
Iron Plates $40/plate 30 plates
$1,200
Research Assistant Salaries $150/month 20 months
$3,000
Communications $100/month 12 months
$1,200
Reports and printing $2/report 300 copies
$600
Office space $200/month 6 months
$1,200
Project Organizer $1500/month 2 months
$3,000
Scales and other equipment $30/participant 30 participants
$900
Village participation fees $40/participant 30 participants
$1,200
Subtotal
$18,300
Support for Partner Research 10%
$1,830
Administration 10%
$1,830
Contingency  15% 
$2,745
Small business plate production loan fund 100 plates...
$4,000
Total
$27,705
 
 The funding specified by this budget will be matched by in-kind technical labor and support by U.S. personnel, who will provide project organization, report writing, and technical support services.  Additional in-kind support and assistance is expected from other stove experts including personnel from the Department of Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture, along with the help of Eritrean mogogo efficiency expert Ezana Negusse.  The free consulting and technical labor support is expected to be a minimum of four person months and has a U.S. value exceeding $40,000 at relatively low international consultancy rates.  Thus the total project investment has a $70,000 value, while only about $30,000 in cash support is needed.
 
Conclusion

By comparing the proposed budget and the estimated benefits of increased stove efficiency, we find that the IMPTAP project is well-worth the proposed investment.  There are severe wood shortages in Eritrea and the inefficient use of wood for cooking results in the burning of millions of dollars worth of biomass fuels that need not be burned.  It is likely that the IMPTAP project can aid in a more rapid adoption of iron plate mogogos (say by getting 10% of Eritreans to use these stoves one year earlier than otherwise).  This results may result in a $1.5 million in fuel saving benefits to the Eritrean economy representing a 50:1 benefit/cost ratio for IMPTAP's $30,000 budget.

The IMPTAP project will overcome some of the barriers to widespread iron mogogo plate use.  The challenges to iron mogogo plate use will be met by perfecting some of the design parameters of the plates, by conducting field tests of plate performance and social acceptability, and by providing technical assistance and loans to potential iron mogogo plate producers.  The actual project funds will be supplemented through the volunteer labor of stove efficiency experts.  This will lead to the implementation of a $70,000 project for less than US $30,000.

The problems of biomass energy supply and use are adversely impacting the Eritrean environment and the majority of Eritrean households.  But through a combination of regulation, reforestation, and increased efficiency, biomass energy supply problems can be resolved.  The IMPTAP project proposed by ETE represents a small but important step raising rural standards of living while reducing environmental stress in Eritrea, East Africa.