Firewood for the third world countries

Roots of common gourds could serve as cooking fuel in underdeveloped countries reducing the tree and shrub loss caused by gathering firewood.
Women in the third World spend one day per week scavenging scarce fuel adding to deforestation.
The taproots of gourds and squashes after being dried in the sun, burn more efficiently than wood. Women in Mexico, Senegal, and Niger tried the fuel and declared it highly flammable.
The plants grow in nutrient-poor soils but are inedible for the most part.