From 1990 (a year after its establishment) Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal (CRT/N) has been actively involved in the promotion and dissemination of Improved Cooking Stove (ICS) in different districts of Nepal. It was the time when new initiatives of ICS promotion in Nepal was being undertaken by various organizations (GOs, NGOs, and INGOs) with bottom up, demand driven and user-friendly approach and ICS activities were included as an integral part of the overall community development program. CRT/N also embarked upon the ICS promotion as its major activity in different parts of the country with the demand driven approach and promoting user built mud brick ICS, a model modified by the Research Centre for Applied Science and Technology (RECAST), a research wing of Tribhuwan University, Nepal. As of April 2 005 CRT/N has promoted about 130,000 ICS mainly in the mid-hill districts of Nepal. Out of this, 96000 have been promoted within the National ICS program implemented by CRT/N with the support from various partner organizations (GOs/NGOs/INGOs). CRT/N thus has become the largest number of ICS promoting organization in the ICS history of Nepal. CRT/N would like to express its sincere gratitude to all the supporting organizations for contributing to achieve the above coverage of ICS in rural Nepal. The following is the brief highlight of projects undertaken by CRT/N regarding ICS promotion and dissemination in Nepal.

PCRW/ SFDP Environment Project

It was the first ICS program implemented by CRT/N with the support from UNICEF to assist various Production Credit for Rural Women (PCRW) project districts undertaken by Women Development Office (WDO) of HMG/N and Small Farmers Development Project (SFDP) districts undertaken by ADB/N (1991-1993). CRT/N provided training and awareness on ICS installation to the members of the groups formed by the WDO and the SFDP offices and also provided monitoring and supervision support for quality of ICS in 18 districts. Altogether 1277 ICS were installed in the above districts.

Training and Awareness Activities
CRT/N initiated regular training packages on ICS promotion and dissemination to the various level of participants: staffs of GOs, I/NGOs and CBOs, community members etc since 1991. This training program continued till 1999 in a full fledge on a regular basis and afterwards as per request from interested organizations. A total of about 700 people were trained on the installation and promotion of improved mud stoves.

Churia Project (1993-1994)
The project was implemented in the districts Siraha and Saptari under the Churia Hill Development Project of GTZ in which 1115 ICS were installed in the two districts.

Gorkha, Lamjung, Bhojpur and Sankhuwasabha Project
The project started in 1996 from district Gorkha under the Rural Development Program supported by GTZ. Under this project a total of 4109 ICS were installed in the 16 VDCs of Gorkha district while about 6000 ICS were promoted in the 18 VDCs of Lamjung district. The program continued in Lamjung till 2002. Besides, under the same program of GTZ, ICS was promoted by CRT/N in Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur districts in eastern Nepal and a total of 2400 ICS were promoted in these 2 districts.

Furthermore, CRT/N has also promoted ICS in eastern Lamjung together with Lamjung Electricity Development Corporation with the support from Canadian Cooperation Organization (CCO).

Parks and People Program (1997-1998)
CRT/N promoted 270 ICS in the Buffer zone area of the Parks and People Project of UNDP in the districts Chitwan and Bardiya.

Care Nepal supported ICS Program (1999-2002)
With the support from CARE/ Nepal, CRT/N promoted about 1900 ICS in the districts: Bardiya Pyuthan and Dang.