Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much Jatropha seed does the Jiko Safi use?
To cook a full meal, theJiko Safi uses 750 grams of whole Jatropha seed. For example, this would allow cooking a pound
of rice, a sauce and vegetables as well as boil 2 liters of water for clean-up during the normal 90 minute burn period.
A typical family might use about 2.2 kg or 5 pounds of seed per day. This amounts to about 1500 pounds per year of seed if this stove is the family’s only cooking system. Hedges around the fields of a typical smallholder farm will produce enough seeds for a year of stove use.
2. In what other ways would the use of the Jiko Safi affect rural lives?
The first stove adopters will most likely be Jatropha growers who can reduce the time and effort of walking long distances carrying loads of ‘free’ firewood. Firewood availability varies widely; typically women and children spend at least 3 hours every other day to fetch firewood. It takes 1 hour to harvest 2 kg of Jatropha seed. Using Jatropha seed as a cooking fuel gives women and children more time for income generation, studying, etc.
Indoor air pollution, caused primarily by poorly ventilated cooking systems (3-stone fireplace, charcoal cookers, etc.), is estimated to cause 2 million premature deaths a year (WHO). The Jiko Safi is a clean burning stove that significantly reduces harmful emissions. The Jiko Safi saves money. The current cost of a bag of charcoa is over $40.00 a bag which lasts less than one month. The fuel for the Jiko Safi is either freeor costs about .02US$ per kilo.
3. Is there enough Jatropha seed available?
No one knows how much seed is grown. It has only recently become a valued commodity for the production of biofuel. A 2011 study in a Jatropha-growing district of Tanzania,found that only 4% of available Jatropha seed is harvested - 96% falls to the ground and rots.
Jatropha produces a seed crop twice a year and can begin to produce seeds in 1-2 years of planting. (Estimates put the annual yield at 1,500 kilograms per hectare.)
4. How much will the Jiko Safi cost?
Currently, the Jiko Safi is fabricated in Arusha and Mwanza, Tanzania for a production cost of approximately $47.00. This cost should
decline as production techniques become standardized and the cost of labo hours per unit is reduced.
Additionally, the cost of the stove needs to be understood within the context of the rising price of other fuels. An evaluation of the Jiko Safi concluded that the payback period, if original fuel was wood, would be 64 days; with charcoal the payback is 36 days!
5. When will the Jiko Safi be available for purchase?
The Jiko Safi has completed two extensive field tests in Tanzania. It is being fabricated at a shop in Arusha and is available for purchase. The stove is also entering field testing in two communities in Uganda. We also have developed relations with Mekono Yetu in Mwanza and they have made arrangements to have stove fabricated in Mwanza.
Interested parties should contact: Jet City StoveWorks at jetcitystoveworks@gmail.com for details.
6. What services can Jet City StoveWorks offer other interested agencies?
Jet City StoveWorks can help other agencies to start their own activities regarding the introduction of the Jiko Safi
within their communities. On a fee basis the services include:
- On-site assessment of an area's potential for makreting the Jiko Safi
- Help in design of projects in promotion and use of the stove: development of user manuals, support of capacity building for local trainers
- Creation of introductory checklist to foster successful adoptio of the Jiko Safi
- Provide design and fabrication information for agencies that wish to pursue local stove production
To cook a full meal, theJiko Safi uses 750 grams of whole Jatropha seed. For example, this would allow cooking a pound
of rice, a sauce and vegetables as well as boil 2 liters of water for clean-up during the normal 90 minute burn period.
A typical family might use about 2.2 kg or 5 pounds of seed per day. This amounts to about 1500 pounds per year of seed if this stove is the family’s only cooking system. Hedges around the fields of a typical smallholder farm will produce enough seeds for a year of stove use.
2. In what other ways would the use of the Jiko Safi affect rural lives?
The first stove adopters will most likely be Jatropha growers who can reduce the time and effort of walking long distances carrying loads of ‘free’ firewood. Firewood availability varies widely; typically women and children spend at least 3 hours every other day to fetch firewood. It takes 1 hour to harvest 2 kg of Jatropha seed. Using Jatropha seed as a cooking fuel gives women and children more time for income generation, studying, etc.
Indoor air pollution, caused primarily by poorly ventilated cooking systems (3-stone fireplace, charcoal cookers, etc.), is estimated to cause 2 million premature deaths a year (WHO). The Jiko Safi is a clean burning stove that significantly reduces harmful emissions. The Jiko Safi saves money. The current cost of a bag of charcoa is over $40.00 a bag which lasts less than one month. The fuel for the Jiko Safi is either freeor costs about .02US$ per kilo.
3. Is there enough Jatropha seed available?
No one knows how much seed is grown. It has only recently become a valued commodity for the production of biofuel. A 2011 study in a Jatropha-growing district of Tanzania,found that only 4% of available Jatropha seed is harvested - 96% falls to the ground and rots.
Jatropha produces a seed crop twice a year and can begin to produce seeds in 1-2 years of planting. (Estimates put the annual yield at 1,500 kilograms per hectare.)
4. How much will the Jiko Safi cost?
Currently, the Jiko Safi is fabricated in Arusha and Mwanza, Tanzania for a production cost of approximately $47.00. This cost should
decline as production techniques become standardized and the cost of labo hours per unit is reduced.
Additionally, the cost of the stove needs to be understood within the context of the rising price of other fuels. An evaluation of the Jiko Safi concluded that the payback period, if original fuel was wood, would be 64 days; with charcoal the payback is 36 days!
5. When will the Jiko Safi be available for purchase?
The Jiko Safi has completed two extensive field tests in Tanzania. It is being fabricated at a shop in Arusha and is available for purchase. The stove is also entering field testing in two communities in Uganda. We also have developed relations with Mekono Yetu in Mwanza and they have made arrangements to have stove fabricated in Mwanza.
Interested parties should contact: Jet City StoveWorks at jetcitystoveworks@gmail.com for details.
6. What services can Jet City StoveWorks offer other interested agencies?
Jet City StoveWorks can help other agencies to start their own activities regarding the introduction of the Jiko Safi
within their communities. On a fee basis the services include:
- On-site assessment of an area's potential for makreting the Jiko Safi
- Help in design of projects in promotion and use of the stove: development of user manuals, support of capacity building for local trainers
- Creation of introductory checklist to foster successful adoptio of the Jiko Safi
- Provide design and fabrication information for agencies that wish to pursue local stove production
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