In many other parts of Tanzania like in many other countries (LMICs), the simple act of cooking is a major health and safety risk. The inefficient combustion of solid fuels (wood, coal, charcoal, dung, and crop waste) and kerosene in simple stoves and devices produces high levels of household air pollution (HAP). Chronic exposure to HAP increases the risk of non-communicable disease including ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, as well as pneumonia. Overall, HAP exposure accounts for some 3.8 premature deaths annually. Use of open fires or poorly balanced pots is also a major cause of burns and scalds in LMICs, while kerosene and charcoal use in the home is a major source of poisonings from either ingestion or carbon monoxide exposure.
Households that rely on polluting energy systems frequently have to travel great distances to gather fuel— sometimes traveling hours each week—putting them at increased risk of musculoskeletal injury and violence. Fuel collection is often tasked to women and children, perpetuating the negative socioeconomic and gender inequities of energy poverty by taking away time that could be spent on other activities like schooling, income-generation, and socializing.4 Polluting cooking practices are also an important cause of environmental degradation and climate change: the black carbon from cooking, heating and lighting is responsible for 25% of anthropogenic global black carbon emissions5, and around 30% of wood fuels harvested globally are unsustainable.