Magic Mitad for Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s national dish, injera, is eaten daily in most households. However the baking process for injera can be damaging to human health by producing large amounts of smoke and indoor pollutants. Moreover, the cooking method is inefficient in energy terms and the use of fuel wood is contributing to local deforestation. In a country where deforestation is having devastating consequences environmentally and socially, HoA-REC&N and other organisations are involved in projects to curb this destructive practice. A project called ‘Magic Mitad’ intends to transform the cooking plate used to bake injera and in doing so, reduce the negative environmental effects of its production.

Injera is everywhere in Ethiopia and most households, particularly in rural areas, will have an indoor stove for baking it. The process involves mixing flour made from the grain teff with water, which is left to ferment for several days. The mixture is then traditionally poured onto a clay plate, known as a mitad, placed over a fire, and baked. The result is a big, flat, spongy pancake which is used as the basis of most meals to scoop up sauces and dishes.

The ‘Magic Mitad’, developed by Leon Simons of Sunny Simons, is an alternative baking plate which can replace the original clay baking plate used for injera production. It is named ‘Magic Mitad’ because, compared to a traditional clay baking plate, it is expected to save over 85% of fuel when combined with a fuel saving stove. ‘Magic Mitad’ also makes it possible to bake injera using different, and more environmentally friendly, fuels such as biogas, charcoal and briquettes. For example, by replacing fuel wood with charcoal in the injera making process, emissions of harmful smoke could be reduced by up to 100%.

Using alternative fuels and a more efficient baking system also brings benefits to local forest resources. Household fuel use for injera baking significantly contributes to the enormous deforestation in Ethiopia. Many Ethiopian families are already experiencing fuel shortages, which will only worsen if the current scale of wood use continues. Deforestation leads to land degradation, affecting the productivity of the land, and reduced vegetation cover limits the environments natural mechanisms to adapt to climate change. It is possible ‘Magic Mitad’ could help protect Ethiopias natural resources and in doing so, its resilience to climatic shocks.

The benefits of using a glass plate for baking injera were discovered in 2012 during tests by Sunny Simons at Bahir Dar University in cooperation with GIZ, Plan International and Masters student Getu Alemayehu. Preliminary tests showed that baking injera on the alternative plate instead of a clay, produced similar results due to the comparable heat conducting properties of the materials. Sunny Simons continued this research by acquiring and testing different types of heat the new plate. In July 2013, Leon Simons presented these findings at the July Talk Energy Ahead (TEA) event, co-organised by HoA-REC&N, GIZ Energy Coordination Office (GIZ ECO), SNV and Forum for Environment (FfE), an information exchange and networking event for anyone involved or interested in the Ethiopian energy sector. Further research was carried out in Ethiopia in cooperation with HoA-REC&N during July and August 2013, which also proved ‘Magic Mitad’s’ fuel saving potential and it’s social and financial feasibility.

The next suite of project activities to be undertaken will be the development and production of specially made stoves for the ‘Magic Mitad’ plate, which will be carried out with the help of specialist Bereket Dessie. A pilot study is also planned to test the longer term use of the system within households, bakeries and large scale baking institutions. The results of this pilot will be used to up-scale the project.

Without a sustainable alternative for the high amount of fuel needed for baking injera, deforestation in Ethiopia will continue with disastrous effects on the environment and fuel and food security. If successful, ‘Magic Mitad’ could help to reverse this trend if implemented on a large scale. Whilst the small-scale benefits to users are reduced fuel costs, improved air quality and less exposure to potentially dangerous wood fires. For these reasons, HoA-REC&N supports Sunny Simons’ research into ‘Magic Mitad’ and further information on the projects progress will be published in the future.