Sounds familiar but I can't place exactly where I've seen this kind of thing before...

I know, that was an... interesting... technique they tried there.

The link didn't show up in that last post: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/news/2011/10/09/cooking_in_adelaide_with_experimental_dung_burning_stoves.html

There's another report at Engineering for Change on a dung-burning stove design that Australian students are developing for use in Nepal. It's a viable fuel option with some interesting characteristics - it burns at a different temperature than wood, for example.

I wrote the article for Engineering for Change and I'm so glad to see this discussion on Slashdot. I've been a fan reading the daily email for a while now. It's interesting to see that, in a just a few comment strings, some of you came to the same conclusions about the best ways to introduce new technologies that it has taken maybe decades for people who are educated in development issues to reach. Also, your discussion of better solutions other than solar (efficient wood stoves) and better materials (why olive oil?) is the same kind of thing that the community at Engineering for Change struggles with. Our members find different answers that sometimes conflict, and often a solution depends a lot on the place where you use it. So, a universally perfect cook stove might not exist. Just a few thoughts. Thanks again! Rob