By Shahidul Islam from Barind region
Introduction
The Barind region is located in the northwestern part of Bangladesh. Mosa Kabuljan (50) who won best Joyeeta award provided by the government is a resident of Haridebpur village of Tanor upazila of Rajshahi district. She could only study up to standard five due to some unavoidable reasons. Her husband is a farmer. The family members of Kabuljan is five. She invented improved oven with clay using her indigenous knowledge. This oven is an advanced eco-friendly made of clay considering the utility of the family, the size of the house and all kinds of needs of the people of the village or the city. She made this earthen stove with her own innovative knowledge which is cost effective and less expensive compared to other developed oven. She even today continues to modify and develop these oven as required by time, situation and utility. As a result the value of this oven has expanded from village to another village. Even the marginal people living in city are using this more fuel efficient smokeless oven. She named this oven ‘Eco-Friendly Advanced oven’.
The beginning of the journey
Kabuljan Begum said, ‘Cooking causes smoke in the eyes, and this causes problems to the women while cooking. They suffer from headaches and various diseases due to the smoke in the house. Again, a lot of wood (firewood) was needed to cook in the traditional oven used by the women at village level.” To find a smokeless stove and to solve this problem, she first made an experimental clay stove, through a hole in which the smoke was lifted upwards. This black smoke rises through a pipe, at the end of which is a cap. Black coating of smoke (carbon) is trapped in this cap. Thus she slowly focused on the development of the oven at her home. At some point the oven started giving good results. Burns are also reduced and black smoke is avoided. She first started this work in 2013. Seeing the use of such an oven at her house, many men and women of the village expressed interest in making this type of oven. Initially the use of this stove increased at her own village Haridebpur. Kabuljan Begum said, “At that time, a stove called ‘Bandu chula’ was sold at a high price. But due to being poor people in the rural could not afford this oven. As a result, she made her own oven with only soil and rice husk collected from the house without any cost. At the same time, she also teaches the women of the village how to make these stoves, so that they could make them by themselves.
Kabuljan’s improved stoves in villages of Barendra region
People in the rural areas use oven as the means of cooking. They cook in different types of clay ovens and use local materials as fuels. Most of these ovens are made of clay. However, BARCIK has been extending cooperation to Kabuljan in making an improved oven since 2014. This woman also has been cooperating in the exchange of experiences among women in different villages. As a result, the use of this improved oven invented by her has increased in the area day by day. The local women now are very convenient in using this oven which requires less fuel and does not produce smooke. BARCIK arranged different training on the making of improved and environment friendly oven in the rural villages where Kabuljan acts as the main facilitator of the training. As result of these trainings some women have learned the technique of making this oven which gradually spread to the villages of Rajshahi, Chapainabaganj and surrounding districts. So far, BARCIK has arranged around 250 training and learning experiences in different villages to educate rural people regarding the urgent needs of using improved oven. As a result, this knowledge and skill has now increased among women in villages. Learning from one person to another led to the development and use of this improved oven. So far, these eco-friendly improved ovens have been extended to around 190 villages of Barind region including Rajshahi and Chapainbaganj districts and more than 10 thousand families presently are using these ovens.
Kabuljan’s eco-friendly improved ovens are now from villages to cities
Kabuljan energy efficient and low carbon emission environment friendly improved ovens are now not only used in villages, but also marginalized people in the city are using these stoves in their families. These ovens are now used in Rajshahi City Corporation along with surrounding upazila municipalities such as POba and Tanore. However, the landless marginalized people in the slums of Rajshahi city use jute or wooden sticks and tire tubes and various types of abandoned polythene as the main materials for cooking in the undeveloped ovens. Cooking with these fuels in open and undeveloped ovens poses high health risks due to polluted smoke. In such a situation, the introduction of the environment friendly ovens developed by Kabulajan to these communities has contributed in reducing pollution and health risks. More than hundred families in the Rajshahi city corporation are now using this eco-friendly oven and the use of these ovens is increasing day by day among the marginalized people of the city due to its usefulness and affordability.
Villages with 100% improved oven users
Not just a few families, all population in two villages of the Barind region have now been transformed into improved oven users making them 100% improved oven users! All households in these two villages use improved oven as they have access to those ovens. Kabuljan, the inventor of this eco-friendly oven, said, “My dream is that all the families in Barind region, including Tano Upazila, will use eco-friendly stoves.” Paying tribute to her dream, BARCIK is playing a supportive role in the expansion of this cost-effective eco-friendly stove. In continuation of this, Kabuljan’s own village known as Haridebpur was declared as a 100% improved oven user village in 2018. At that time, Haridebpur village was announced as a low carbon emission, cost-effective, environmentally friendly advanced oven user village by Tanor Upazila UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officer) Shaukat Ali. In Haridebpur village, about 570 families almost all use Kabuljan’s eco-friendly advanced ovens. On the other hand, in 2022, the UNO of Tanor upazila, Pankaj Chandra Debnath, declared Gubir Para village with 430 families of Tanor municipality as a hundred percent eco-friendly advanced oven user village. The use of these advanced ovens in different villages of Barind region is increasing day by day.
Women’s employment and income
Kabuljan made the oven herself and taught others to make it. Many times she gets honorarium by making ovens for others. At the same time, those who have been taught to make this oven are also earning by making this ovens for others in their village or neighboring villages. Kabuljan is also helping to create skilled artisans in oven making by providing income and training. From the observation, it is known that, including 2 women in the village, about 6 women in the western upazila and villages of the Barind region are benefiting financially by making this advanced oven.
Impact on women’s socio-economic development
Through direct observation and interviews, families are benefiting financially due to the use and construction of environmentally friendly improved oven initiated by Kabuljan. A preliminary study shows that the cost of buying an advanced concrete oven is BDT 600 to 1000. But there is no cost or less cost in making an eco-friendly advanced oven which has been developed by Kabuljan. All the materials such as soil, clay and paddy husks used in making these ovens are available in the households. Thus, one does not require any cash to buy materials for making this oven. However, it costs only BDT 200 to 250 to make or buy a concrete pipe. And the mud cap can be made by oneself or bought at a cost of only 30 to 40 taka. Thus, households can save money if the use this oven as it comparatively cheap. On the other hand, according to the information of stove users, cooking wood (fuel) is more required in a conventional and open-developed oven. In contrast, advanced stoves require the same or less wood. Through data collection, it has been learned that to cook one kg of rice in a normal oven, it takes a little less or more than 4 kg of wood, compared to that, it takes 3 kg or less to cook one kg of rice in an environmentally friendly advanced oven. In the Barind area one can buy one maund of wood by BDT 250. Thus, compared to that, it can be seen that the cost of cooking one kg of rice in a normal or open oven is BDT 25-27. On the other hand, it costs about BDT 18 to 19 to cook in an eco-friendly advanced oven. Using eco-friendly oven thus saves money and reduce health risks of the rural communities in Barind region. Besides, using the eco-friendly oven educates the women about environment, health and climate change, renewable energy etc. and they become aware of this which can result in the reduced emission of carbon. In addition, making and using energy-friendly ovens is empowering women in the family and society. This is increasing the power of grassroots women at the rural level. Over again, cooking in an environmentally friendly improved oven does not require medical expenses due to the reduction of household and disease burdens. Overall, it can be seen that improved oven cooking is benefiting the users financially, which is playing a special role in the socio-economic development of women.
Contribution to solving global crisis
The current world is facing a deep energy crisis. Climate change is compounding this crisis. Plans are underway today to move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources around the world. In most cases, initial deployment of renewable energy projects is not feasible for the rural poor. However, some changes in household practices and especially cooking can reduce excess energy consumption, which indirectly contributes to environmental protection and climate change mitigation. An important example of this is the construction and use of low-energy ovens using local materials. It can be set up by rural poor women and taught to the surrounding neighbourhoods. As can be seen, by using this low-energy oven, rural women are not only contributing to health protection by reducing household costs they are also working for the development of a country. Overall, the use of low energy ovens by women is enabling them to play an important role in combating global climate change and protecting the environment. The special importance of Kabuljan’s activities is that she is making ovens suitable for the use of local materials such as soil, cow dung, straw, rice bran and wood in the style of low fuel-dependent cost-effective oven. Since these ovens are made of local materials so its maintenance can be done by the users themselves. Kabuljan is also teaching other women on making the ovens with free of cost in the neighborhood. The oven developed by her consumes less fuel, produces less smoke, cooks faster and user friendly. However, the basic feature of the activity is to use the power of rural poor women get prepared for dealing with global crises like drought and climate change through an environmentally friendly practice. On the other hand, Kabuljan’s environment friendly improved oven is contributing significantly to reducing carbon emissions globally. Because the use of these less fuel-efficient ovens by household results in less carbon emissions. Thus, an oven is contributing a lot to combating global climate change.
Wildlife and health protection
The special feature of Kabuljan’s improved oven is that through it one can use all types of fuel that are easily available around the local community or can be designed and made according to the type of fuel. But the use of normal and undeveloped oven requires only wood or cow dung. Collecting wood involves cutting down trees which is not good for the environment. On the other hand, due to excessive use of dung in the traditional oven it reduces the opportunity for the rural communities to use the dung as fertilizers in their crop fields. But the use of all types of fuel in Kabuljan’s eco-friendly advanced ovens has reduced the use and dependence on only wood or dung as fuel. In the same times, cutting down trees for wood will be reduced as one has lot of options by using the ovens made by Kabuljan which will contribute to the conservation of nature. In addition, using the ovens made by Kabuljan provides the luxury for the communities to use cow dung as organic fertilizer in their crop lands. At the same time, this advanced oven has less carbon emissions due to less cooking and faster cooking, which contributes to environmental protection.
Protection of agro-biodiversity
Kabuljan has made lot of contribution during the global pandemic Corona and at the same time she is also contributing to the protection of agro-biodiversity in times of crisis. She built her own house as a green and eco-friendly farm house. Throughout the year she cultivates various native varieties of crops and produces various native varieties of vegetables. At the same time, she produces seeds and exchange these seeds with neighbors and in the villages. All around her own house, various varieties of native fruits and uncultivated plant diversity along with herbs are adorned. She produces seasonal vegetables and herbs including uncultivated food and medicinal plants such as Sunsuni, Geema, Sanchi, Kalmi, Kansisa, Helencha, Bathua, Thankuni, Dudhraj, Kutch, Tulsi, Ghrit Kanchan, Patharkuchi, Guia Bagun, Guia Garlic, Chandan, Shatamul, Neel Kanth etc. Kabuljan makes garden with medicinal plants like Kanth, Yashtimudhu, Talmichari, Mahatita, Sada and Kuchkari etc.
It is to mention that Kabuljan establishes her house as a ‘Bijbari’ (seed house). She so far has conserved about 115 types of vegetable, herb, leafy and grain crop seeds. She exchanges these seeds with her neighbors as well. During the pandemic corona when there was lockdown all around, farmers could not buy seeds or did not have seeds, Kabuljan provided seeds to them through her seedhouses which enabled them to farm crops during that trying situation. She exchanged vegetable seeds of various kinds among about 1050 men and women during that time. She also formed an organization for women in her village. Where women’s rights, protection of agricultural biodiversity, environmental awareness etc. are discussed.
Conclusion
The world is heading towards a crisis due to climate change, with insufficient water resources and more carbon emissions. In such a situation, the example of an innovative woman like Kabuljan can play one of the roles. By using local materials, she is contributing to the protection of the environment and sustainable agro-biodiversity, including addressing the water crisis. Development is much stronger and more sustainable when it is within one’s own resources. Kabuljan’s use of eco-friendly improved oven is playing a role in economic development along with health protection of rural women. The oven also reduces carbon emissions and makes an outstanding contribution to combating global climate change.
Translated by Silvanus Lamin
