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==News and Recent Developments==
+
===News and Recent Developments===
   
  +
===The History of Solar Cooking in Lesotho===
==Climate, Culture, and Special Considerations==
 
  +
Around two decades ago, as reported by [[A. A. Eberhard]] in the 1994 Proceedings
  +
of the Eighth Biennial Congress of the International Solar Energy Society, a group of
  +
[[South Africa]]ns attempted to introduce solar cooking in the mountains of Lesotho. The
  +
project was not a success from Eberhard's perspective, confirmed by two others on return
  +
from a [[Peace Corps]] assignment and academic work in the country. Their analysis of
  +
reasons, cast in terms of Rogers' 1983 theory on the diffusion of innovation, concludes
  +
that an innovation basically cannot be introduced by foreigners. They then proceed to
  +
discuss successful introduction of devices by others with foreign sounding names like
  +
Yaholnitsky and Scott, that have in fact, been more successful. (Scott, though not a
  +
Basotho, was born there.) Their approaches to introducing solar cooking were very
  +
practical, such as teaching women how to cook the basic staple of the country, and using
  +
local people as aides and trainers. Perhaps all of this is a precursor to the current situation
  +
in Lesotho.
  +
  +
The current center for solar cooking in this small nation is located in a multipurpose
  +
educational facility, the [[Bethel Business and Community Development Center]],
  +
located in Moorosi, Lethotha. The Centre, which began in 1998, provides adult education
  +
of many applied types, attempting to inculcate practical skills and teamwork in its young
  +
adult student body. The center demonstrates by its own use topics such as water resource
  +
development and utilization, improvement of rural infrastructure, enhancement of village
  +
design, solar energy utilization, and environmental regeneration. Some of the courses of
  +
study are extended, giving students professional training and skills; others are short
  +
courses for refreshing already learned skills and exposure to new ideas in the various
  +
fields. The campus included residential quarters for both the full time and the short-term
  +
students.
  +
  +
The unit that focuses on solar technology is called [[Solar Soft]]. Representatives of
  +
the group were present at the world meeting in Kimberley, [[South Africa]]. The design they
  +
were using was a box cooker mounted on a heavy pipe set into a ground base which
  +
allowed it to turned to follow the sun. ([[SCI]] personnel made certain they had a [[CooKit]] to
  +
take home and experiment with.) A small but steady demand for cookers, which are
  +
made by craftsmen at the Center, has been generated. Their strategy has been to target a
  +
better-educated, middle class audience, touting environmental arguments rather than fuel
  +
savings. They have demonstrated that cookers can be sold to this audience. Students at
  +
the college prepare lunches every day of the school week using solar cookers. A strength
  +
of the program is the situating of solar cooking firmly in the range of other solar and
  +
renewable modes of operating, thereby providing students with multiple and integrated
  +
lessons for their later life.
  +
 
===Climate, Culture, and Special Considerations===
 
*[[Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables]]
 
*[[Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables]]
   
==Documents==
+
===Documents===
===Reports===
+
====Reports====
 
*'''November 2003:''' [http://www.she-inc.org/art.php?id=27 Report on Peace Corps Initiated Solar Oven Project in Lesotho, Southern Africa]
 
*'''November 2003:''' [http://www.she-inc.org/art.php?id=27 Report on Peace Corps Initiated Solar Oven Project in Lesotho, Southern Africa]
   
===Articles in the media===
+
====Articles in the media====
===Web pages===
+
====Web pages====
   
==Contacts==
+
===Contacts===
===NGOs based in-country===
+
====NGOs based in-country====
===NGOs based abroad but working in-country===
+
====NGOs based abroad but working in-country====
===Individuals===
+
====Individuals====
 
*A complete list of [[Solar Cookers International]]'s solar cooking contacts is available in the [http://solarcooking.org/directory.htm#Lesotho International Directory of Solar Cooking Promotors]
 
*A complete list of [[Solar Cookers International]]'s solar cooking contacts is available in the [http://solarcooking.org/directory.htm#Lesotho International Directory of Solar Cooking Promotors]
   
===Manufacturers and Vendors===
+
====Manufacturers and Vendors====
   
==See Also==
+
===See Also===
 
*[[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|Click here for the complete list of Solar Cooking Wiki articles related to {{PAGENAME}}]]
 
*[[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|Click here for the complete list of Solar Cooking Wiki articles related to {{PAGENAME}}]]
   

Revision as of 02:47, 29 January 2007

News and Recent Developments

The History of Solar Cooking in Lesotho

Around two decades ago, as reported by A. A. Eberhard in the 1994 Proceedings of the Eighth Biennial Congress of the International Solar Energy Society, a group of South Africans attempted to introduce solar cooking in the mountains of Lesotho. The project was not a success from Eberhard's perspective, confirmed by two others on return from a Peace Corps assignment and academic work in the country. Their analysis of reasons, cast in terms of Rogers' 1983 theory on the diffusion of innovation, concludes that an innovation basically cannot be introduced by foreigners. They then proceed to discuss successful introduction of devices by others with foreign sounding names like Yaholnitsky and Scott, that have in fact, been more successful. (Scott, though not a Basotho, was born there.) Their approaches to introducing solar cooking were very practical, such as teaching women how to cook the basic staple of the country, and using local people as aides and trainers. Perhaps all of this is a precursor to the current situation in Lesotho.

The current center for solar cooking in this small nation is located in a multipurpose educational facility, the Bethel Business and Community Development Center, located in Moorosi, Lethotha. The Centre, which began in 1998, provides adult education of many applied types, attempting to inculcate practical skills and teamwork in its young adult student body. The center demonstrates by its own use topics such as water resource development and utilization, improvement of rural infrastructure, enhancement of village design, solar energy utilization, and environmental regeneration. Some of the courses of study are extended, giving students professional training and skills; others are short courses for refreshing already learned skills and exposure to new ideas in the various fields. The campus included residential quarters for both the full time and the short-term students.

The unit that focuses on solar technology is called Solar Soft. Representatives of the group were present at the world meeting in Kimberley, South Africa. The design they were using was a box cooker mounted on a heavy pipe set into a ground base which allowed it to turned to follow the sun. (SCI personnel made certain they had a CooKit to take home and experiment with.) A small but steady demand for cookers, which are made by craftsmen at the Center, has been generated. Their strategy has been to target a better-educated, middle class audience, touting environmental arguments rather than fuel savings. They have demonstrated that cookers can be sold to this audience. Students at the college prepare lunches every day of the school week using solar cookers. A strength of the program is the situating of solar cooking firmly in the range of other solar and renewable modes of operating, thereby providing students with multiple and integrated lessons for their later life.

Climate, Culture, and Special Considerations

Documents

Reports

Articles in the media

Web pages

Contacts

NGOs based in-country

NGOs based abroad but working in-country

Individuals

Manufacturers and Vendors

See Also