Fuel Efficient Cookstoves, a Means to Tackling Issues of Deforestation Climate Change, Health Issues and Women Empowerment:A Study on the Sahariya Tribe Ofbaran District in Rajasthan

The use of biomass burning, i.e., firewood from forests, is the main source of cooking energy of the Sahariya community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), from Kishanganjblock ofBaran district in Rajasthan. The forests in the area have dwindled over the years, as per the Rajasthan state forest reports. The people's perception of the reasons for degradation of forest in the area, indicates the role of local people in deforestation, mainly for local construction and household cooking energy needs. The dwindling forests have aggravated the struggles of Sahariya women in fetching firewood from long distances. Emissions from traditional biomass burning for cooking energy, contributes to health issues and the issue of climate change. This paper presents the study of Sahariya tribal households from Baran, who were provided with a fuel efficient cookstove, and the benefits assessed in terms of emission levels of particulates - PM10 and PM25, methane (CH4) and Poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results indicate that emission levels were reduced within the prescribed standards and households were able to significantly reduce their firewood requirement. This reduction in the household emissions and reduction in firewood requirement observed in Sahariya community, can be a pragmatic solution in the collective efforts of tackling the issue of deforestation and also a positive contribution towards reducing emissions of carbon particulates and GHGs from rural households. The co-benefits include reduced stress levels among women, as firewood requirement is reduced, and improvement in overall health of family members from improved indoor air quality.