Torres Higuita Family – Setaa Communities, Sowers of Territories, Waters and Autonomies.
Colombia, Antioquia, Peque
2011
Transition Area
Fair Energetics
- Alternative energy supply.
- Energy efficiency
- Integration of different energy uses
- Energy access for local communities
- Changing patterns of use and consumption
- Heat generation
Approximately 5 years ago, there was a project in the village where they built efficient stoves. However, although between 15 and 20 families benefited, the project failed because the stoves had construction-related problems, among others, because they did not have enough space for the smoke to escape properly, the drying was not adequate and, in general, the way the work was carried out was not optimal. This caused people in the community to be disillusioned and disbelieve in this technology. Thus, of the stoves built at present, there are only 4 that are still standing, since most of them were dismantled by the families themselves.
However, this family always believed in efficient cookstoves, especially after learning about other experiences in the department of Santander and Córdoba, and was always convinced that efficient cookstoves really were an excellent alternative and that what was wrong with the ones in their village was that they were poorly built. Indeed, this was the case.
This has been a very enriching experience for the whole family, the community and the group, and it has also been an opportunity for everyone to contribute to the minimization of impacts. This experience for them, as those affected by Hidroituango, has allowed them to reflect on how to approach a just energy transition.
Technical characteristics of the proposal
The efficient stove «home heat», has the capacity to bake, have 4 pots cooking at the same time, boiler for maintaining boiled water, lids to prevent smoke leakage, arepas grill, ash collection and very low consumption of firewood, while maintaining the cleanliness and health of the people who perform the work of cooking at home.
Productive, community, environmental, or economic processes or activities that were positively impacted by the implementation of the community experience of TEJ.
At this moment they are preparing and learning about different topics of healthy eating and food safety in their community, as they have the project to process, transform and preserve food as a way to take advantage of what is in harvest, which at some times of the year is lost and at other times is scarce. For them it is important to have food even when it is not harvest time, for example, beans, corn, guava and oranges, among other species, are lost on the farm. They also plan to start their own farmers’ markets in the short term, for which they consider it necessary to learn about the transformation of products.
Beneficiaries of the experience
1 family composed of 2 women, 2 men
Achievements and problems encountered during implementation
ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Social and community management, since it is born from an organizational process and has been advancing in the reflection on the Just Energy Transition and a popular model in which alternative energy experiences have been implemented. In this experience it has been very important to be able to involve others in the processes and believe in the initiatives again, because many people in the village did not have faith in this technology and did not imagine that it could work so well. Now they have more people interested in learning and having alternatives in their homes and communities.
- Contribute to minimizing the effects of climate change, generating clean energy, avoiding the felling of trees and environmental pollution.
- Conservation of the environment and of the region’s natural resources, using only the materials from the woody orchard, where the trees are not cut at the root but the wood needed to feed the «Home Heat» stove is cut little by little.
- Replicate this initiative in other homes and generate a dialogue on energy uses, both in the village and in other regions.
- One achievement of this experience was that women were actively involved. Both in the planning and in the construction and implementation of this initiative, dialogues have been generated regarding the change to alternative energy.
PROBLEMS:
- The cost of construction materials, since the raw materials are not available in the village and have to be brought from Medellín. Distance and road conditions increase these costs.
- According to their need to grill the arepas and that they do not know of another arepa grill in an efficient stove, the person who installed the stove designed a space for this. This was a need that was met.
Women’s participation in the TEJ community experience
This experience has been very interesting for the women of the community, since they have been the ones who have led the process and have been involved in all the issues of climate change and energy change, towards a fair energy. Although some men also participated in the process, it was led by women.
They were part of the whole construction and learning process and felt very proud because many people from the community wanted to see how the stove worked. Even from other parts where they also had stoves from the previous project, they were asked how they had made this one really efficient, they felt very good about identifying the things that the previous ones had not worked for and correcting the process.
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