Each year, nearly 10 million acres of forest are cleared across the African continent to produce fuel-wood, contributing to widespread deforestation. Eco-Fuel Africa makes forest-clearing for fuel-wood a thing of the past by converting thousands of tons of agricultural waste into clean, inexpensive cooking fuel for people across Africa. Their business model is comprised of three separate components: kilns, which are leased to farmers to convert their agricultural waste into charcoal powder; an Eco-Fuel Press Machine, which presses charcoal powder into clean-burning briquettes; and women retailers, who form a network within their community and are able to make a living by retailing Eco-Fuel's briquettes. Today, the company works with over 2,500 farmers and a network of over 600 women.