In February 2001, through provision of consumer credit, we partnered
with a Malagasy firm to promote butane gas as an efficient, clean and
affordable cooking fuel to substitute charcoal. Currently 75% of the
32,000 households in the provincial capital of Mahajanga use only charcoal
and 15% use charcoal in combination with another energy source to cook.
Estimates are that annual demand in Mahajanga alone equates to a loss
of 4,000 hectares of forest. Within one month, households using butane
increased from 5% to 8%. More than four times the numbers of households
may convert over time. Our partner is now beginning to replicate this
model in Antananarivo.
A Substitute for Forest-Destroying Charcoal
