Fairtrade Improved cookstoves India

This project provides a verified carbon credit that can be retired on purchase.

Bachat, meaning "savings" in Hindi, refers to saving fuel, money, and time, with the program focused on improving rural India's environment, health, and economy. The most populous country in the world, with 1.44 billion people, faces significant challenges due to widespread open-fire cooking, leading to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and air pollution. Over a million people die annually from indoor air pollution. Climate change threatens rural communities reliant on small-scale agriculture, enhancing the need for climate resilience and female leadership.

Wood burning has highly adverse effects on not only the climate but also on people’s health. The Bachat programme addresses these challenges through improved cookstoves that result in less wood consumption and smoke development, saving lives, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. This initiative targets vulnerable tribal communities in Odisha, aiming to improve their quality of life and promote sustainable practices.

FairClimateFund has partnered with Care India since 2021, providing improved cookstoves to families in Odisha, offering 9,000 women clean cooking solutions. Cookstoves are 100% pre-financed with CO2 financing and sold at an 80% discount. The initiative empowers female leadership as members contribute 20% of their income, deposited into a cooperative bank account they manage. The Fairtrade Climate Standard organises beneficiaries in a certified cooperative, while carbon credit income covers maintenance and supports farmers, with excess revenue going to the cooperative.

Odisha, India