Climate Action

Across the globe, the clean cookstove sector plays a critical role in addressing one of the most urgent and interconnected challenges in sustainable development: the way families cook their daily meals. 

Over 2.1 billion people rely on open-fire cooking methods that contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and lead to forest degradation, energy poverty, and severe health risks. 

Open fire cooking practices are responsible for 3.2 million premature deaths annually, with women and children bearing the brunt of the impact due to prolonged exposure to indoor air pollution.

Clean cooking is climate action. It is gender equity. It is health equity. And it is one of the most cost-effective interventions for reducing carbon emissions while improving the quality of life for families in low-resource communities.

StoveTeam International is committed to delivering high-quality clean cookstove programs that reduce emissions, improve family health, and strengthen climate resilience in rural Central America. The following sections outline our approach, the technology we use, the co-benefits generated through our work, and our long-term commitment to ensuring every stove continues to operate safely and effectively—today and for years to come.

The Justa Design

The Justa cookstove (pronounced “hoo-stuh”) is built in place inside the home by one of our trained and certified Stovebuilders. Each stove benefits an average family of nearly 5 people and provides meaningful employment, while contributing toward a solution to climate change and deforestation.

By using an efficient rocket combustion chamber and a chimney, the Justa cookstove emits almost zero smoke into the indoor environment.

By providing clean, efficient cookstoves, we reduce harmful smoke exposure, lower household fuel consumption, and prevent deforestation. Our work advances multiple Sustainable Development Goals while centering Climate Justice, ensuring that families most affected by environmental and health inequities have access to safe, sustainable cooking solutions.

Addressing Sustainable Development Goals

• SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being: Cleaner air and safer cooking environments lower the risk of illness and early death.

• SDG 5 – Gender Equality: Time and labor savings empower women to participate in economic, educational, and community opportunities.

• SDG 13 – Climate Action: Every stove installed significantly reduces black carbon and CO2 emissions, directly combating climate change impacts.

Climate Justice in Action

• Improving Public Health: Replacing open-fire cooking with Justa cookstoves nearly eliminates indoor smoke, reducing the risk of respiratory illnesses and premature deaths.

• Empowering Women: Families spend up to 50% less time collecting firewood, women gain valuable hours that can be invested in education, income-generating activities, or simply rest and leisure

• Protecting the Environment: Reduce fuel use by up to 50%, preventing deforestation, and lowering emissions.

Our M&E Methodology

StoveTeam follows industry best practices to conservatively and accurately measure the long-term impact of every stove we place.

Our Monitoring & Evaluation framework and implementation plans include:

• Comprehensive demographic and GPS data collection for all stove-receiving households

• Baseline and post-installation fuel assessments using the Kitchen Performance Test (KPT) with conservative caps

• Stove Use Monitoring Systems (SUMS) when funding allows

• Annual follow-up visits to every stove to assess usage, functionality, and remaining useful life

This commitment to annual monitoring and restoration ensures durable climate impact, high adoption rates, and accountability to both families and climate partners.

Our Program Evaluation

Since 2022, StoveTeam has been installing Justa cookstoves in homes across Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. through our trained and certified Maestros Comaleros. Our monitoring and evaluation methodology allows us to consistently assess program effectiveness, stove performance, and long-term adoption among the families we serve.

Through this ongoing evaluation, we’ve learned that well-maintained stoves typically begin to need restoration after about three years—most commonly the combustion chamber, chimney, and plancha (griddle). In the summer of 2025, we launched a pilot restoration program to respond to this need. The pilot included two communities where Justa stoves had been installed more than three years prior.

Our Project Coordinators conducted household surveys to understand each family’s stove use, maintenance habits, and the specific parts requiring replacement or repair. Two of our Maestros Comaleros then returned to each home, replacing components that had reached the end of their lifespan and restoring parts—such as the plancha—that simply needed additional care.

The pilot demonstrated strong results. Building on this success, in 2026 we will expand the initiative to provide stove restorations for families actively using their Justa stoves. During the pilot year, implementation will focus on Guatemala. Pending continued success, stove restoration will become a permanent component of our Justa program and will be rolled out across all StoveTeam service areas.

This long-term commitment to keeping clean cookstoves in use is a core expression of climate justice—ensuring families can continue to rely on safe, efficient technology that protects both their health and the environment.