Research - Posters Fireless Cookers as a Holistic Poverty Alleviation Tool

Emily Kinzer 

Covenant College, Care of Creation Kenya

Research conducted by Care of Creation Kenya (CCK) among women in Kijabe, Kenya concluded that using inefficient and open cookstoves resulted in adverse health effects for the entire family, safety hazards while cooking in the kitchen and while collecting firewood, strained familial relationships, and a lack of time to fulfill other social obligations. The fireless cooker proved to be an effective, simple, and affordable tool for addressing these and other issues that often accompany those living in poverty.

A fireless cooker goes by many names including hay box, straw box, insulation cooker, and retained-heat cooker. It is a simple technology that utilizes the heat of the food being cooked to complete the cooking process or keep food warm. The fireless cooker can be insulated by cheap, local materials such as banana leaves, old clothes, grass, straw, agricultural waste, or a more expensive recycled polystyrene material.