WFP Handbook on Safe Access to Firewood and Alternative Energy (SAFE)

 The World Food Program (WFP) Handbook on Safe Access to Firewood and Alternative Energy (SAFE) provides guidance on fuel-efficient programming and typically includes some or all of the following activities:

• Assessment of fuel and cooking needs;

• Provision of fuel-efficient stoves and alternative sources of fuel (including local production of fuel-efficient stoves and alternative fuels);

• Training of end-users on fuel-efficient practices, including food and fuel preparation and cooking, and stove use and maintenance;

• Investment in natural resources for fuel, such as tree planting and other environmental activities;

• Promotion of alternative livelihoods for women engaged in the gathering of, or production and sale of firewood and charcoal;

• Research into context-specific technologies and the introduction of innovative ones;

• Provision of institutional fuel-efficient stoves for WFP-assisted schools.

The structure of the handbook is as follows:

Parts 1 and 2 introduce the handbook and the SAFE approach respectively. They explain WFP’s involvement in the initiative; how it complements WFP’s mainstream food assistance activities; and how, with multi-sectoral engagement, tackling the many issues around safe access to cooking fuel can help vulnerable populations flourish in the long-term. Part 2 also lays down the multiple linkages between SAFE-related issues and food security and nutrition.

Part 3 offers a step-by-step operational guide for each stage of the programming process: assessment, design and planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. It also offers guidance for effective and ethical advocacy and communication on SAFE, and highlights potentials for expansion and scale-up. Tools are also provided for each stage of the programme cycle.

Part 4 describes promising practices and useful lessons from cross-sectoral interventions. Practices are analysed to determine whether they could be replicated in WFP’s operations.

Part 5 contains a collection of information and reference material on fuel-efficient stoves and fuels, SAFE-related environmental and livelihood interventions, and their applicability in various settings.

The handbook is intended for all WFP staff and partners striving - at community, national and international levels - to make safe access to cooking fuel a reality. It also aims to raise awareness of the importance of these issues, especially when responses are being planned in the early stages of emergencies.