Magic of the Tsotso Stove
According to an old adage, necessity is the mother of invention; it forces people to find alternative ways and tools. In Zimbabwe today, devising skills to survive is the norm of daily living.
As a means to cope with erratic electricity power cuts which are undoubtedly a defining characteristic of the ongoing socio-economic crisis in Zimbabwe, many Zimbabweans living in urban areas have resorted to using the tsotso stove because of its low labour and energy saving characteristics.
Traditionally, rural as well as low-income households have always depended on fuelwood which usually chews up loads of firewood, thereby endangering the environment.
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However, in urban areas, firewood for use as domestic fuel is always in short supply or simply too expensive.
The tsotso stove, which is inspired by the traditional hearth fire, is a specially designed open clay pot with openings at its sides where you put little sticks of wood to make a fire.
The tsotso stove helps to reduce firewood consumption than normal traditional open hearth fires. It is stable and portable; it uses small pieces of wood and saves fuel.
In Shona language, tsotso literally means little sticks of firewood, and it is these little sticks that the tsotso stove employs to make a fire that can cook a meal to feed a whole family.
The tsotso stove uses much less wood and has an insulated combustion chamber which helps reduce smoke while increasing the heat output and burning efficiency.
The sticks, usually from thorn trees, come in a bundle and cost very little. A bundle of the sticks can potentially cook approximately six to ten meals, saving energy and labour in the process.
The tsotso stove is so convenient because it can be carried from one place to the other, and can therefore be used if when it is raining. In addition, it utilizes minimal amounts of wood which does not jeopardize the environment.
All in all, the tsotso stove is highly desirable because it is fast cooking, produces less smoke and is environmentally friendly and requires very small amounts of wood fuel.
A similar but more sophisticated phenomenon is being utilized in fuel oil dependent America, which is 78% located in New England / North East. Poor, elderly, low income, mid income and fixed income households are adding or converting from fuel oil to wood stoves and wood pellet stoves. These too are EPA friendly through controlled combustion. The biomass map of the United States and Canada including forest floor rot and clean up, scrap wood, and so forth is very impressive. It presents a new alternative to imported fuel oil to heat homes in colder climate.
A fine stop-gap notion brought to fruition - but I still prefer the solar oven (not the heavy $500-1000 model which a village might use)which is family friendly and cheap!!! Many families find during a simple camping trip or visit to a national forest that open fires, even in campgrounds, are forbidden because of dry, wildfire conditions. The oven I have in mind can be made from rigid foam insulation (many of them out of a single 2 inch thick 4′X8′ sheet), a roll of metallic tape, a roll of duct tape and an appropriate sized sheet of clean acrylic ‘glass’ …
oh, and a small, medium or large Dutch oven. Cut 2 triangles, 2 squares and tape them together to form an open, upward facing ’stage’. Put the oven and stew, meatloaf, fish, etc., on the stage and cover it with the glass, using tape to form hinges and hasp. Place the oven in the sun and go somewhere to play or work or … come back once in a while to smell the great aromas or turn the fish … Hikers, fishermen, even commuters can leave dinner on the porch or in a sunny room and have a hot meal awaiting them in the evening. Hikers and campers should be aware that wild critters are also hungry and have good smelling organs. Each ‘oven’ should cost around $30 and your children can make them in a few minutes. Make several if you need more than one dish. The secret is in the reflectivity of rigid foam insulation and the metallic tape you use inside, which reflects sunlight from all angles onto your cast iron ‘oven’ … use a small thermometer if you are skeptical.