Energy-saving Cook Stove, Sidoarjo, Samigaluh, Kulon Progo

Field Trip Report | Girimulyo, Kulon Progo

The Energy-saving Cook Stove

Sidoarjo Village, Samigaluh Sub-district, Kulon Progo, D.I. Yogyakarta

May 31, 2012

Travel Report

• The trip began at 10:30 to 14:30. It takes 1,5 hours to reach the place. 
• This trip was planned at 08.30am. But, we set off at 10.30am because we still have to do briefing after the video conference with Tyler finished at 09.30am.
• We arrived at the District Office Samigaluh at 11.00am. We spend half an hour to hear from the staff of the village and noted a number of data. The village has not been electrified and their industries use renewable technologies 
• For 20 minutes, our car stuck due to poor terrain. The roads is broken on the both side (right and left). Mrs. Supriyati has given a good point the way. At 11:46am a car can get through bad roads and we arrived at the residence of Mrs. Supriyanti 10 minutes later. 
• In this house, we saw the design of the stove burner for use in the household scale. This design is certainly different from the design for industry. Unfortunately, we do not have enough time to see the designs in the industry group. It will takes 45 minutes away from the residence of Mrs. Suprapti. 
• After looking at the design of energy-saving cook stove, we were greeted by Mrs. Supriyati and her  husband in the living room. We served with variety of snacks and drinks. We talked about the activities of Mrs. Supriyati on Energy-saving Cook Stoves campaign and other activities, including water supply in the region, for an hour.
• We leave at 13:00 and make an appointment to come back. Mrs. Supriyati asked a week to search for the data about the surrounding areas that have not yet powered by the electricity.  So, we promised to return in two weeks, along with Noel, that will travel abroad by next week. 
• Only need an hour to go back to the office, since there is no need to get lost and ask directions. Driver drove us to office and proceeded to take Noel to the hotel, then to the airport. 

Story from the field

Excellence 
Excellence using the Energy-Saving Cook Stove (ESCS), according to Mrs. Prapti: the smoke out through the chimney. So, it is not just spinning in the kitchen room. As a result, the kitchen becomes more healthy. Previously, cooking tools will be very dirty. Wood cook stove produce sooty smoke that makes cooking equipment are not only black, but also the walls of the kitchen and cook/kitchener. Previously, the entire kitchen in the village is dark and very dirty. 

Now, any cooking furniture is cleaner, no black crust stuck. This black crust usually extend the time to spent in the kitchen. Now the cooking time is shortened. If it usually takes four hours to completely clean up the kitchen cooking stuff, now it only takes two hours. These reasons are the most popular for housewifes. 

In addition, the ESCS also saves the firewood. In the past, people cook with simple stoves using firewood. Ithey need a bundle of wood every time they cook, it is now only half of it. Within a day, every household is able to collect up to three tie of firewood. After seeing the benefits ESCS for the sugar industry, they develop a similar stove for household-scale use, for daily cooking activities. 

There was no difference between the design of ESCS for industry and for households. There are only differences in size, where the stoves of the industries are more larger. They need only Rp 225.000 to make an ESCS for the household-scale. Not only the stove, the kitchen well ventilated room is also a concern. The manufacturing process through collaboration among the various craftsmen. Theys needed to manufacture a set of ESCS, such as pottery craftsmen and aluminum. 

They created a pilot projects in some area in the hamlet level. Each community who are interested, will got at least two pilot projects. It funded by the community. If not enough, we ask for help to Dian Desa Foundation with savings and loan system. People who make ESCS pay Rp 10,000 per month until it paid. During this process, farmers are not only invited to care for the earth and nature, but also encouraged to have a broader insight. When cooperating with others, there must be black and white. "We made a Letter of Agreement, so that the public is getting smarter," Mrs. Suprapti explained. 

Other industries that use this stove is slondok maker (snack made from cassava crisps, crackers) in the Munggang Wetan, Kulonprogo. 

Constraints 
There is one village where Mrs. Prapti got difficulties on elaborated the ESCS, especially in the central area of sugar producers. The working principle of ESCS require dry wood. Dry wood is difficult to find by local residents, due to a number of reasons: 

1. In this area, land-own is limited, insufficient supply of wood. So that, there can be no wooden stock. Ideally, the wood is collected today can only be used after drying. Whereas, today they use wood that has been drained since a few days earlier. 
2. Timber demand is very high, so the timber taken today will be discharged only for today. As a result, tomorrow should use more wet wood, wood that had just collected that day. 
3. Villagers do not have a wooden storage shed, as in the Mrs. Prapti's village. This is the main issue in the use of ESCS optimally. 

Typically, above a stove they make of wood boards (loft) to heat the wood to dry. Intentionally or not, black dirt can fall into the food. It's not good for health. The front side of ECSC in this region is used for sugar, the back side for the wood that still wet. They inserted the wet timber to the back side of the stove. When it bocome heat and dry, then they removed and inserted the timber through the front. 

When introduced to the stove chimney (the fumes disappear), they can not receive, because they need the smoke to dry the wood. Affairs drying oven is a kitchen improvement constraints that have not found the solution 

Unavailability of good timber constraints. So they need of improvement efforts in order to clean the kitchen, while they still can dry the wood. "I hope this meeting can help me for a good design”. Currently, Mrs. Prapti been thinking about the design of the shape of the chimney is not straight. When it was explained that we can not make it happen, Prapti says: 

"A new appropriate technologies should be applied. This I have done with existing ESCS. I made a pilot, build not just one, but at least two units in each community, and with the community, we learned together to test the truth." 

"So, if your friends make new designs, but not to apply here, what's the point? If the test fails, the importance of this has been tested. How can you know that a proper design if not tested? If this can be developed later, I will directly interact with the community, because I do not build by myself. When I can get this design, I will bring it into the group, "he continued. 

About off-grid areas

• The data we have collected are not valid. For example, the Kebonharjo village has electricity.  This data previously obtained from the local government. Powered, but not have electricity legaly. They use electricity illegally took from another home (nyabang). This is called a "bedeng", which in a hamlet with a dozen members of the family / home, none of the electricity meter. 
• Sub-District Data: Wonotawang hamlet (30 households) in Kebonharjo Village, Njelingan hamlet (approximately 8km from the Sub-wDistrict Office). Later I will ask the RT leader (two days). Sidoharjo situation not too severe. 
• Mrs. Prapti has contact persons in each village. She will contact Mr. Ward. In 12 sub-districts in Kulonprogo there are various forms of industrial activities, not just brown sugar (palm sugar). There are four sub-districts that have palm sugar industry. The others focus on natural farming (organic). 

About Persons/Informan
Mrs. Prapti was a farmer, driving an organic farm in the village. In addition to members of the Independent Sustainable Farmers Group, he also moved for Women Farmer Group. Outside of agriculture chat, Mrs. Prapti tuck the ESCS knowledge. 

"I share the information on this stove technologies to the farmers' groups, based-on what I can do. I am only concerned with peasant farmers, not part of Dian Desa. Our co-operation to facilitate farmers' groups," she explained. 

We can not impose the use of this technology. If they need, then they will ask by themselves, not forced. When they give a respond, then made a pilot. We give two months to put on, then the people who have felt his own benefit, especially housewife, telling it to others. 

Initially, in this hamlets we made one unit in my house, then another in another house. Currently, of the fifteenth member of the group, already use ESCS. Who are not members of the group had already come use it as well.

Outside of agriculture movement, Mrs. Prapti also active in the water management group, community management of the movement of water sources. There are a number of hmalet with have no clean water, but there live near the water spring. So, she helped the community to submit this issue to the government or NGOs, in order to pursue running it to the people in need. The main focus of this group tends to supply water for household needs, rather than agricultural irrigation. 

One way to watering is done with a gravity system, because this is the cheapest method. This has been successfully performed in Girimulyo with the support of all villagers in the process of development.  During this time, the people walk down the cliff as far as three miles without the aid of a safety device to search for water. A little off guard, life-threatening. TVRI and Dian Desa has made a video documentary about the history of this struggle for water. 

While the source of water in the higher elevation and unattainable by the gravity system, until now there has been unsuccessfully advocated, because of funding constrain. The region is located in an area Kebonharjo (50 families). Source of water in the river. The plan, they will make the river tank (ponds), and from this tub of water supplied to homes within 10 miles. Is necessary to drain the pipes. But, they have no funding to purchase this pipe.

When assisting a village, Prapti find out the local resources. For example, when looking at any source of water that has not been managed in a coffee plantation. Mrs. Prapti try to get into the community through the plantation. Through way, she push the local communities to cooperate for the provision of clean water. In other areas, when looking at the potential of a good nature, like two beautiful mountains, Prapti mobilize communities to build the Tourism Village. Transmit the spirit of organic farming was his capacity, but when a community has managed to move the organic system properly, then Prapti trying to find another potential can be developed for the needs of villagers. 

Adriani Zulivan