Haiti: Action Plan for the Transformation of the Cookstoves and Fuels Market

While there are innovative local cookstove and fuel enterprises in Haiti, they face a difficult operating and policy environment with tariff barriers, lack of access to raw materials, and weak sector coordination mechanisms. Consumers’ inability to pay for higher performing products and the low awareness of the benefits of clean cooking further complicate prospects. In addition, a rapid transition away from traditional fuels is not only improbable, but also ill-advised as approximately 200,000 Haitians are employed in the charcoal value chain.

In response to these challenges, Global Affairs Canada commissioned this Action Plan (Plan), to serve as a high-level strategic framework for transforming the cookstoves and fuels market in Haiti. The Plan provides a strategy for sector development based on field assessments, research reports, and stakeholder consultations, and should be implemented in close collaboration with the Government of Haiti. The activities outlined in the Plan are intended to align with the Government of Haiti’s development objectives for agricultural development and economic growth, climate change mitigation, improved health and energy access, and greater empowerment of rural populations. In addition, the Plan is designed to both build on complementary initiatives in related sectors and draw on the experiences of more than 40 years of cookstove programs in Haiti.

The Plan proposes a market-based strategy to develop a strong cookstove and fuels market. The objectives of this strategy are to: 1) increase and improve the production and availability of cleaner, affordable, and more efficient cookstoves and alternatives to wood charcoal; 2) improve the efficiency of wood charcoal production; 3) generate demand for cleaner, affordable,
and more efficient cookstoves and fuels; and 4) create a strong enabling environment to support sustainable market growth.
Underpinning the proposed strategy is a core belief that impact will be achieved by following six key principles that have been defined based on research conducted in Haiti and best practices gleaned from developing cookstove and fuel markets around the world.