Cooking stoves lies in kitchen, but most of Indonesian kitchen is not comfortable and unhealthy. There are some problem such as bad air circulation and un-efficient cooking stoves [it does not use appropriate energy and produces much smoke].
Cooking could be the biggest cause of women's healthy. During the cooking process, smoke from inefficient biomass stove could make acute infection of upper respiratory disease, which is the first killing baby disease. Some research shows that acute infection of upper respiratory cases increase by the duration inside kitchen with biomass fuel.
In general, women take all process of cooking or home industry based on biomass fuel. It is proven that biomass fuel usage has a specific effect related to gender.
Biomass consumption tends to increase from time to time. FAO predicts that more than a half of world population using biomass fuel. FAO data also shows that biomass consumption in Indonesia is around 60-70%. Data in 1981 shows that biomass consumption in Java was 0,82 M3/family/year then it increased 0,85M3/family/year in 1986.
Efficient cooking stoves will give a positive impact to decrease wood consumption. If the program of efficient cooking works well, process of deforestation will be less. Later it will lessen erosion, lower river water levels, flood, etc. Thus, it could help to heal environment.
ISSUES >> Kitchen
Healthy and Comfortable kitchen.
Cookstove lies in the kitchen, but most of Indonesian kitchens are not comfortable and unhealthy. There are some problems such as bad air circulation and inefficient cooking stove. It does not use appropriate energy and produces much smoke.
Facts about kitchen For Indonesian, kitchen is not just a place to cook, but it is also a place to eat for the family, a storage for food and harvest, even sometimes it functions as livestock cage like goat, chicken, pig, and cow.
Cooking activities done in kitchen is not only cooking but also preparing kit and material for cooking, washing, drying, keeping them in storage, and serving the food. Thus, it is necessary to know spatial arranging, and how to put the kitchen kit in a good order and is important to put cooking stove and washing pot on the right place.
For Indonesians, there are two styles of cooking: sitting and standing. Whatever style used, it must be easy to access. It also needs good lighting through sunshine or lamp. There must be good air circulation through window, door, and ventilator. Kitchen users must comfortable and easy to access kitchen stuff.
When a kitchen has all criteria above, it is what we say as a healthy and comfortable kitchen.
ISSUES >> Health
Health Issues.
Cooking could be a threatening disease for women working. Pollutant in the kitchen could indirectly kill millions of women and children.
During the cooking process, smoke from inefficient biomass stove could cause acute infection of upper respiratory {ISPA}. Acute infection of upper respiratory is still the main cause of death in developing countries. If one is in a kitchen without feasible air circulation in a day, it is equal with smoking 100 cigarettes in a day.
Biomass stove produces some pollutant including monoxide carbon that is very poisonous. CO concentrate in kitchen using biomass can reach 100 ppm per hour. It is more than the WHO limitation, which is only 25 ppm.
Affect of CO for human health are acute infection of upper respiratory, chronic lung disease, conjunctivitis, and cor pulmonary, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, and obstruction of fetus growth.
Smoke and babies health
Acute infection of upper respiratory especially pneumonia and diarrhea are the main baby killing disease in Indonesia which has killed 5 millions babies per year. Research shows that acute infection of upper respiratory, which attacks babies, increases when they are in kitchens with biomass fuel. It means that smoke-containing CO contributes to the height of baby's death and baby's physical defect.
However…
In Indonesian villages, smoking is a traditional way to dry crops/agricultural produce, to preserve coarse grass roof, to kill insect, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the function when we plan to make healthy stove and kitchen, or it will make another problem.
ISSUES >> Gender
Gender Issue.
Women and Cooking Activities
In general, women take responsibilities on cooking, but children also help their mother on working in the kitchen. In addition, in home industry process with biomass fuel, women involve more on it. Biomass using has specific affect related to gender.
Women and Fuel Gathering
In Indonesia, women and children are the main actors in gathering woodfuel. They have more tasks not just on cooking but on supplying wood to cook also.
Women and Their Task.
On cooking activities, women do all the process from gathering wood, bring the wood to kitchen, prepare other fuel, then cooking itself. It is very common that woman spend minimally 3 hours per day in the kitchen for cooking. Cooking with biomass fuel will give more negative affect for women's health.
ISSUES >> Conservation
Cookstoves and Conservation Effort.
Biomass consumption tends to increase from time to time. FAO predicts that more than a half of world population using biomass fuel. FAO data also shows that biomass consumption in INDONESIA is 60-70%. Data in 1981 shows that biomass consumption in Java was 0,82 M3/family/year then it increases 0,85M3/family/year in 1986.
Efficient cooking stoves will give a positive impact to decrease wood consumption. If the program of efficient cooking works well, process of deforestation will be less. Later it will lessen erosion, lower river water levels process, flood, etc. Thus, it could help to heal environment.
If 95% of Indonesia's population boil their drinking water, it is needed 184,680,000,000 kilos joule per day to boil 12 litters water for a family consists of 5-6 persons. That amount is equal to 73.000-m3 wood or 16.000-m3 petrol. The price is Rp.15 milliard per day or Rp.5,5 quintillions per year.
By looking that amount, it is reasonable to use efficient cookstove to save millions trees and to save forest from a worse deforestation process.
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