Pellets of Hope: How a New Cooking Solution is Saving Zambia’s Forests and Empowering Lives

IN THE bustling peri-urban neighborhoods of Zambia, charcoal has long been the heartbeat of daily life — the flame under every pot, the warmth in every kitchen. Cheap, accessible, and familiar, charcoal fuels more than 75% of households. Yet, behind its smoky comfort lies a devastating cost: the loss of Zambia’s precious forests.

Every year, an estimated 180,000 to 250,000 hectares of forest vanish — a silent, creeping disaster that leaves communities more vulnerable to drought, hunger, and poverty. Charcoal production alone accounts for nearly a quarter of this destruction, pushing Zambia towards one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation.

But amidst the haze of despair, a spark of hope is igniting.

A New Flame: Supamoto's Clean Energy Revolution

Emerging Cooking Solutions, trading as Supamoto, is rewriting Zambia’s energy story. Determined to offer an alternative that honors both people and planet, Supamoto has introduced an innovative clean cooking solution: eco-friendly biomass pellets and a specially designed high-efficiency stove.

Unlike charcoal, these pellets are crafted from agricultural waste and sustainably sourced biomass — not freshly felled trees. And the magic doesn’t stop there. The stoves, manufactured with precision in Durban, South Africa, use a built-in fan powered by solar energy or electricity, making cooking faster, cleaner, and dramatically safer.

“On an ordinary sunny day, a full charge lasts up to five days,” explains Towela Nyirenda, Senior Manager Sales and After Sales at Supamoto. “We are not just offering a stove; we’re offering dignity, health, savings — and a way to fight climate change.”

Today, Supamoto has distributed 15,000 stoves across Lusaka and the Copperbelt, with a growing army of 90 pellet distributors and shop outlets fueling the movement.

Pellets that Empower: Stories of Transformation

For entrepreneurs like Margarete Nambeye of Ndeke Township in Ndola, the Supamoto stove has been life-changing.

For three years, Margarete has used her stove daily to power her thriving samosa business. "It’s incredibly fast," she beams. "I used to struggle with charcoal for hours. Now, I prepare my samosas in under 30 minutes, and one bag of pellets lasts an entire month."

With charcoal, Margarete once spent over K450 a month. Now, she spends just K130 — and invests her savings into growing her business.

Another proud Supamoto user, Ms. Musukuma of Ndola, shares a similar story. "In just twenty minutes, I can cook Nshima, relish, and heat water for my family. Supamoto is not just a stove — it’s freedom."

Greening the Future: Farmers Join the Fight

Supamoto’s impact stretches beyond kitchens — it is rooting itself into Zambia’s soil. Through partnerships with farmers, the company encourages the planting of nitrogen-fixing trees like Lucina and Gliricidia sepium, whose stems are later purchased for pellet production.

Bliss Maundu of Beilbram Farm near Kapiri Mposhi planted 600 Lucina trees. “These trees are a gift,” she says. “They enrich the soil, feed my dairy animals, and help combat climate change.”

At Simwaka Farm in Kabwe, Zephania Simwaka echoes the sentiment. "We planted 1,000 Lucina trees. Now, I have a new income stream selling biomass to Supamoto and fodder for my livestock."

Even retired science teacher Philip Mooya, who once worried as his farmland dried under the weight of climate change, now sees new life sprouting. "Our land is no longer bare," he smiles. "Supamoto’s trees have brought back hope — for the soil, the animals, and for me."

A Collective Effort: Partnerships for the Planet

Recognizing that sustainable change requires collaboration, MUSIKA Zambia has joined hands with Supamoto, providing financial and technical support through Swedish government funding. Together, they are expanding access to clean energy and helping Zambia’s forests breathe again.

Reuben Banda, MUSIKA’s Managing Director, warns, “Zambia is losing over 276,000 hectares of forest annually. Without solutions like Supamoto’s, our future — and that of our children — is at risk.”

But with innovative technologies, partnerships, and communities embracing change, there is a powerful current reversing the tide of deforestation.

Lighting the Way Forward

The fight to save Zambia’s forests is not just about preserving trees — it’s about preserving lives, dreams, and the very soul of the nation.

In every Supamoto stove that crackles to life, in every tree planted and nurtured, and in every family breathing cleaner air, Zambia’s story is being rewritten — from despair to resilience, from destruction to regeneration.

As the world searches for answers to climate change, Zambia’s quiet revolution offers a loud and clear message: Hope burns brighter when we fuel it together.