Less than 20% of the 35 million Bangladeshi households have access to clean cooking. Traditionally, they cook on “three-stone” open fires which release smoke and harmful pollutants. These lead to nearly 50,000 premature deaths a year and cause millions to suffer from respiratory tract infections.

This project distributes inexpensive, improved cookstoves known as the Bondhu Chula, or the “friendly stove”, to rural districts in Bangladesh. To date, approximately 40,000 stoves have been installed. They reflect traditional cooking methods, but burn fuel more efficiently – Up to 50% less fuel is required – and are designed to draw harmful smoke out the home, thus creating cleaner indoor air for women and children.

In rural part of Chinese Mainland, many households rely on traditional wood-fired stoves, driving deforestation pressure in critical areas like the Mamize Nature Reserve and causing harmful indoor air pollution to families. 

The project replaces traditional open-fire stoves with firewood-saving cookstoves (FSCs) for families in the Mamize Nature Reserve area. These cookstoves significantly reduce the amount of firewood needed and minimize smoke production by incorporating a chimney and an optimized air supply system. This design ensures more efficient fuel combustion and effectively extracts smoke from the room. As a result, the improved stoves can save up to 50-60% of the firewood required for daily cooking while dramatically reducing harmful indoor air pollution caused by cooking.

_{Photo credit: Qu Jinxu, South Pole}

Access to efficient, clean cooking facilities remains limited for many families in rural part of Chinese Mainland, who still rely on traditional fires for daily meals. These fires not only produce harmful smoke, creating dangerous cooking environments, but also drive significant deforestation as large numbers of trees are cut down each year for firewood. In the villages surrounding the Dafengding Nature Reserve, this poses a unique challenge, as the Reserve is one of the few remaining mountain forest homes to giant pandas.

In partnership with WWF, this project has installed efficient cookstoves in homes across Meigu County. These cookstoves reduce wood use by up to 70%, promote clean cooking practices, lower health risks from indoor air pollution, and help prevent further degradation of the Dafengding Nature Reserve. The improved design heats more efficiently, shortening cooking time and significantly reducing the amount of wood required. Additionally, the integrated airflow system includes a chimney to vent smoke outside, improving indoor air quality for families.

_{Photo credit: He Xin, WFF Chengdu}

The National Biodigester Programme (NBP) provides a sustainable and efficient energy source for rural communities in Cambodia. Located in the southern provinces, the programme uses biogas produced from animal and human waste in biodigesters, creating clean energy and organic fertilizer for farmers, boosting crop yields and creating local jobs. To date, the project has helped reduce deforestation by saving over 150,000 tonnes of wood, and enhanced soil fertility, benefiting over 18,000 farms.

_{Photo credit: National Biodigester Programme of Cambodia, General Directorate of Animal Health and Production}