Loading 'kuni mbili' firewood stoves at the Kitengela Woodfuel Arboretum and Cookstove factory, The first half of a 2,900 firewood stove order going up to Marsabit, Northern Kenya on a plucky new truck called ''Babyface''. Each energy saving firewood stove will have 1 free packet of acacia tree seeds to provide a source of future woodfuel for those who can grow them.

And here it is at work:

The improved seed-to-ash cycle of renewable household biomass energy! This is a wonderfull and easy way to never buy charcoal again!

Why buy overpriced sacks of  questionable 'bush' charcoal like these sold on the roadside made from old growth indigenous trees like this piece of olea africana below?

When you can simply grow and make your own free homegrown charcoal like this: 

Start investing in a future source of charcoal with tree seeds - especially in the drylands,  direct seeding is the cheapest way to plant trees
We also have a handy commercial dryland tree growers handbook as well - 

Six year old acacia trees at the Woodlands2000Trusts dryland demonstration woodlot (first woodfuel trees planted in 2005) in Isinya, Kajiado. 


As seen from above in the dry season -  

 And while you wait for your trees to grow, you can use maize cobs, twigs and branches, coconuts, timber yard waste, bamboo, rose roots etc.... and you can also capture some of the smoke to distill your own wood-vinegar and wood-tar

Making charcoal with coffee husks in Nyeri

The kilns come as a kit including tree seeds, a machete and a KCJ energy saving charcoal cookstove. 

Various samples of woody biomass made into charcoal for cooking. 

A mini kiln making coconut charcoal with a smoke trapper attached. Note the condensation of the wood oils within 10 mins.

Collecting the wood vinegar and wood tar for on farm use. 

150ml of coconut husk wood vinegar from a 6 hour carbonization cycle - this can be used as an alternative organic agro-chem to protect wood from termites - http://www.agrowingculture.org/2011/04/the-use-of-wood-vinegar-in-reducing-the-dependence-on-agro-chemicals/

condensing the carbonization by-products - wood tar! A FAO document about charcoal making by products

The carbonization process. 

A carpentry shop with a large kiln used to make charcoal out of wood waste at The Cape Chestnut Cafe, Nanyuki 

They can make a 30kg bag of FREE charcoal from waste off cuts in one day!

Coconut charcoal making and wood vinegar demonstration at the Watamu Marine Association -https://www.facebook.com/watamumarineassociation 

Many thanks to the Mt. Kenya Horticultural Society for hosting Cookswell Energy Saving Jikos for a talk about making sustainably produced charcoal for your household needs using garden waste like twigs and branches in your own backyard.

the medium 4 level charcoal oven in action! 

a delicious baked potato at the Courtyard Cafe in Nanyuki Town. 

The amazing mini-safari portable charcoal oven.

Some of the amazing things you can roast in your charcoal oven - 8,500ksh (international shipping starting at 400$)