Soil rehabilitation starts with more efficient cookstoves

The study done on Baljuvon district of Tajikistan focuses on use of organic fertilizers for improving resource use at house and farm level. The organic fertilizers in the form of animal dung from horses, donkeys, goats, sheep and cows can be used to improve agriculture production such as reducing soil erosion, diversifying crops and improving the soil humus content. A study conducted on the behalf of Welthungerhilfe showed that an average farm household in the region burns over two tonnes of dried cow dung per year. The inefficiency caused by traditional cooking systems led to the introduction of simple and efficient cook stoves and heating systems. These modifications have helped reduce fuel requirement by 50 percent.