Improved institutional biomass cook stoves and ovens for small and medium-scale agro-processing industries in Ghana (renewable energy project)

Currently, Ghana has a wide range of traditional agriculture production that makes a major contribution to food security and livelihoods in rural areas, including production of shea nuts, palm kernels, peanuts, seeds and cassava. These products are processed using thermal energy before being consumed or traded. Firewood is traditionally used for the vast majority of thermal agro-processing, and recent increases in the price of liquified petroleum gas have supported this preference. Processing is mainly done by small-scale enterprises using insufficient, traditional three-stone (tripod) stoves. This results in high production costs, unhealthy working environments and negative impacts on the environment, mainly in terms of deforestation. In addition to the negative impact on the environment, this type of processing results in high production costs and unhealthy working environments that disproportionally affect women, as women dominate the traditional agricultural processing sector in Ghana. The main goal of this project is to promote the production and marketing of improved institutional biomass cook stoves for use in gari production, pito brewing, shea butter processing and fish smoking in Ghana.