Improved Cookstoves

The improved cookstove (zamani fema) is a simple technology that saves firewood, reduces smoke inhalation, and cooks food faster than the traditional three-rock stove. This unit covers the vocabulary for cookstove construction, the five hand measurements used to build one, and a sample dialogue modeling a stove-building session.

Vocabulary

Zarma	English
zamani fema	improved cookstove
fema	traditional 3-rock stove
botogo	mud
kusu	cooking pot
meyo	door
dullu	smoke
dullu fonda	chimney
danji	fire
hinayan turi	firewood
myur	wall
how	wind
zama	knife
kortu	to crack
dumbu	to cut
cinna	to build

Advantages of the Improved Cookstove

1. Uses less firewood — The enclosed design concentrates heat around the pot, using roughly half the firewood of a traditional stove.
2. Reduces smoke — The chimney (dullu fonda) channels smoke out of the kitchen, reducing eye and lung problems.
3. Cooks faster — Heat is not lost to the wind, so food cooks more quickly.
4. Safer for children — The fire is enclosed, so children are less likely to be burned.
5. Lasts a long time — When built and maintained properly, an improved stove can last several years.
6. Made from local materials — Only mud (botogo), water, and straw are needed.

The Five Hand Measurements

All measurements for the improved cookstove are taken from the builder’s own hands, making the technique accessible without rulers or tape measures.

#	Measurement	Zarma	Description
1	Between pot and ground	kambe nya	One hand with thumb extended — the distance from the bottom of the pot to the ground, ensuring enough space for the fire.
2	Wall width	kambe fo nda kambe izey hinka	One hand and two fingers — the thickness of the mud wall, strong enough to support the pot and retain heat.
3	Smoke escape	kambe izey fo tafey	One finger’s width between the pot rim and the wall, allowing smoke to escape upward through the chimney.
4	Door	kambe fo	One hand’s width — the opening at the front, sized for two pieces of firewood to enter side by side.
5	Air holes	kambe izey hinka	Two fingers’ width — small holes at the back or sides of the stove to allow air circulation for combustion.

Sample Dialogue — Building a Cookstove

Mariya, a volunteer, is working with a group of women to build an improved cookstove in the village.

Speaker	Zarma	English
Mariya	Fofo, ay weyborey! Hunkuna iri ga cinna zamani fema.	Hello, women! Today we build an improved cookstove.
Woman 1	Zamani fema? Iri fema ga boori kaŋ.	Improved stove? Our stove is fine already.
Mariya	Aran fema — ifo no a ga te? Tongo hinza nda danji. A ga nwa hinayan turi kayna. Dullu ga te aran moey ciray.	Your stove — what is it? Three rocks and fire. It uses lots of firewood. Smoke hurts your eyes.
Woman 2	Haalli. Dullu ga ban ay mo ciray kulu.	True. Smoke is killing my eyes too.
Mariya	Zamani fema si nwa hinayan turi kayna. A gonda dullu fonda — dullu ga fatta. Aran moey si ciray.	The improved stove doesn’t use much firewood. It has a chimney — smoke goes out. Your eyes won’t hurt.
Woman 1	A ga cinna nda ifo?	What do you build it with?
Mariya	Botogo hinne nda hari nda subu. Iri kulu gonda a. Kala iri sintin.	Just mud, water, and straw. We all have that. Let’s start.
Mariya	Sintinay — iri ma haw kusu. Kambe nya — wodin no fondo kan go kusu nda laabu game ra.	First — bring the cooking pot. One hand with thumb — that’s the space between the pot and the ground.
Woman 2	Kambe nya — ay faham.	One hand with thumb — I understand.
Mariya	Myur — kambe fo nda kambe izey hinka. A ma gaabu.	The wall — one hand and two fingers thick. It must be strong.
Woman 1	Nda meyo?	And the door?
Mariya	Meyo — kambe fo. Hinayan turi hinka ga hin ka furo game ra.	The door — one hand wide. Two pieces of firewood can enter together.
Mariya	Koyne — kambe izey fo tafey kusu nda myur game ra. Dullu ga fatta noodin.	Then — one finger between the pot and the wall. Smoke escapes there.
Woman 2	Nda dullu fonda?	And the chimney?
Mariya	Oho. Iri ga cinna dullu fonda banda ga. Dullu ga fatta windo ga.	Yes. We build the chimney on the back. Smoke goes out through it.
Woman 1	Nda how izey — kambe izey hinka — i go man?	And the air holes — two fingers — where do they go?
Mariya	Banda ga. I ga kande how danji se. Danji ga gaabu.	On the back. They bring air to the fire. The fire burns strong.
Woman 2	Boori! Iri ga prouver.	Good! Let’s try it.
Mariya	Zamani fema nda ni na cinna a boori, a ga gayi jiri kayna. Nda a na kortu, ni ga hin ka gyari a nda botogo.	An improved stove, if you build it well, lasts many years. If it cracks, you can repair it with mud.

Maintenance Tips

• Let the stove dry completely before first use (at least three days).
• Start with a small fire the first few times to cure the mud.
• If cracks appear (kortu), fill them with wet mud and let dry again.
• Rebuild the stove if the wall becomes too thin to support the pot.