Mayon Turbo Millet Husk Stove and Bokashi
Roger Samson, REAP Canada April 2006

We have some good news on sustainable fuel development from West Africa.

One of our interns in the Gambia, David Crowley, has increased the air flow of our Mayon turbo stove design by about 25% to successfully burn millet husk. Millet husk, as I have mentioned in previously emails to the Stoves list, is perhaps the most abundant bioresidue in the semi arid regions of West Africa. The byproduct, carbonized millet husk, was also successfully used for production of Bokashi fertilizer. This effort was completed in partnership with the Njawara Agriculture Training Centre in the Gambia. The centre is now producing Bokashi from carbonized millet husk and millet bran as substitutes for rice hull and rice bran. We will put this information in our new manual on bokashi. Anyone wanting a copy we can send it to you electronically and will post it on our web site in the future.

From a landscape ecology standpoint, the two biggest problems in West Africa are deforestation and declining soil fertility. We believe the combined use of the Mayon Turbo Millet Husk Stove and Bokashi are promising new options for semi arid areas where millet is the staple.

Roger Samson
www.reap-canada.comNike