Improved cookstoves and forest recovery in Rwanda
This study examines whether Rwanda’s large-scale improved cookstove programme reduces deforestation by lowering firewood consumption. Using spatial data and qualitative evidence, it evaluates impacts on forest cover and sustainable household energy use.
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Anti-Ayesh-Salemi-Policy-Brief-March-2026.pdf
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- Rwanda’s Tubeho Neza cookstove program increased forest and non-forest cover in treated areas.
- The program’s effects were not immediate: gains appeared after a few years, consistent with the time needed for ecological recovery.
- Forest gains were strongest in areas with better baseline forest conditions. Other areas still became greener, but mainly through non-forest vegetation.
- Fieldwork suggests that households actively used the stoves, spent less on fuelwood, and relied less on children for firewood collection.
- Improved cookstoves can contribute to forest growth, but program design, size, monitoring and marketing, and local ecological conditions are critical.