Deforestation is a national and international concern. In Nicaragua the feasibility of attacking this problem was studied at one of its roots, the demand for and consumption of firewood, through a massive fuel switch towards kerosene. A locally-based foundation distributed 700 high-quality Chinese kerosene stoves, using a credit scheme, both in a village and in a suburb of the capital. Surveys of family fuel consumption for meal preparation were carried out before the intervention and again, one year later, after the intervention. The population's acceptance of the stoves was very high. Proof of this is evident in such factors as (1) the high percentage of delivery of the stoves to 93% and 73%, respectively, of the population that uses firewood or charcoal; (2) the highly enthusiastic reactions elicited from the people during visits by the Foundation's workers; (3) the high usage rate of the stoves (80%); and (4) the overall decrease of 50% in the use of firewood for the involved area. This article is centered around the extent of coverage, social acceptance and community behavior, and the local capacity to perform this fuel switch, while themes related to energy efficiency, energy policy, the greenhouse effect and financial implications are incorporated to indicate the national and international impact of this strategy. Offering an alternative source of fuel to the population is a feasible, cheap and highly appreciated solution to deforestation. Projects using these methods could potentially lower firewood consumption at the national level by 50%. Local organizations are capable of implementing this strategy on a wide scale. The economically less favored classes of the population can be reached without any major constraints, leading at the same time to important positive effects on health. The cost per tonne of carbon emission avoided through this strategy is calculated at US$ 1.7, which is far below standards used in joint implementation programs. A worldwide strategy could lower the present surplus balance of CO2 emission by 13%, maintaining at the same time the natural capacity of CO2 absorption. In this scenario, the world consumption of petroleum products will increase by 0.8%.