Woodfuels, livelihoods, and policy interventions: Changing Perspectives (original) (raw)
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Is there a fuelwood crisis in rural Mali?
GeoJournal, 1997
The study takes a conventional supply and demand approach to the study of fuelwood use. It compares estimated wood production in West African bush and forest formations based on an available equation using rainfall data with own collected data on local wood consumption in a village in southern Mali. To allow comparison, data from 49 other villages in the same area are analysed. This study, toget her with an earlier study in northern Mali, indicates that locally induced deforestation caused by fuelwood use does not represent an immediate problem in rural Mali. Local use of fuelwood does not seem to be exceeding forest regeneration. However, where there is external pressure on the forest represented by commercial exploitation of wood for sale in the urban centres, fuelwood depletion might occur.
Woodfuel for urban centres in the Democratic Republic of Congo
2011
For tropical humid forests, such as those of the Congo Basin, it has long been assumed that woodfuel 1 is abundant and merely a by-product of timber exploitation or agriculture. However, recent observations in DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Cameroon show diverse production patterns, as well as an increase in urban demand and a shift from consumption of fuelwood to charcoal. Growing demand for urban woodfuel has increased pressure on the region's forest resources, which is especially problematic in the absence of incentives to restore or manage these resources sustainably. However, it has also created possibilities for many local people to gain an income from woodfuel production and trade.
World Development, 2014
Woodfuel is a renewable energy source with good potential for climate change mitigation. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the sector employs over 300,000 people for the supply of Kinshasa alone, but the benefits to the poor are often unknown. This paper analyzes the contribution of commercial woodfuel production to livelihoods and poverty reduction in the DRC. Woodfuel revenues, especially those of charcoal, contribute substantially to producers' household income, ranging from 12% for fuelwood producers around Kisangani to 75% for charcoal producers around Kinshasa. It supports basic needs and investments in other livelihood activities (for 82% of charcoal producers and 65% of fuelwood producers), which helps to reduce poverty. The contribution of woodfuel commercialization to poverty reduction should be part of energy and forestry policies.
Sustainability
Charcoal and firewood fuel biomass utilization is thought to be the main cause of deforestation in Uganda. Moreover, the practice of utilizing charcoal and wood fuel in Uganda is said to impact the health of many women and children in the region. The goal of this study was to comprehensively analyze charcoal and wood fuel utilization processes in Uganda and sub-Saharan Africa and the environmental and socioeconomic dynamics and implications. The study equally intended to model out some possible improvements to wood fuel use while conserving natural forests. Both qualitative and qualitative approaches were used to study the charcoal and wood fuel energy situation in Uganda. The study collected field data (sample size: 199) which was subjected to descriptive analysis. The findings show that over 90% of households in Uganda and the sub- Saharan region use firewood and charcoal wood fuel, and that this fuel use creates social and environmental hazards. Our findings are also in agreement...
Economic and social importance of fuelwood in Cameroon
The study presented in this article focuses on firewood and charcoal in Cameroon. The study analyses subnational secondary data combined in some cases with additional collected data on firewood and charcoal consumption as well as their market prices. The findings estimate a total consumption of 2.2 million metric tons for firewood and 356,530 metric tons for charcoal in urban areas of Cameroon. Firewood and charcoal contribute to the GDP for an estimated amount of US$ 304 million representing 1.3% of the GDP of Cameroon. In addition, the sub-sector provides about 90,000 equivalent full time jobs while 80% of the people in Cameroon depend entirely on wood-energy for household energy supply. Unfortunately, there is no government policy to develop the wood-energy sub-sector.
2021
Wood charcoal (WCH) is a sustainable biofuel for rural and urban users because of its higher energy density and emission of marginal smoke when compared with firewood. Besides helping the poor majority who cannot afford kerosene, electricity or liquid petroleum gas (LPG), WCH is a key source of income and livelihood. This work aimed at quantifying the volume of WCH production as well as appraising its socio-economics, including environmental impacts, especially the impact of long-term deforestation and forest degradation in Africa. Historically robust data from the databases of UN-FAO, FAOSTAT, International Energy Agency (IEA), United Nations Statistics Division, UN-DESA energy statistics yearbook, and the Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) were used. The data analysis involved descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis, and geospatial techniques. The result revealed that East Africa had the highest average wood charcoal production which was 32,058,244 tonnes representing 43.2% o...
Uganda Journal of Agricultural Sciences
Fuelwood scarcity is evident in south western Uganda, where households are using sorghum and maize stalks for cooking as alternatives to the traditional fuelwood. The aim of the study was to assess the implications of fuelwood scarcity on livelihoods of rural communities in Nyarubuye sub-county in Kisoro district in south western Uganda. Systematic random sampling techniques were used to select participating households for the study. Data were collected using direct observation and interviews, using a structured questionnaire that was administered to 80 households in Busengo and Karambi parishes. Face to face interviews were held with key informants, using a checklist. The study showed that the main drivers of fuelwood scarcity in Nyarubuye Sub-county include: land shortage, rapid increase in population, change of land use from communal forested land to crop growing only, lack of integration of trees on farm, inefficient methods of cooking and brick burning. The study also showed that the implications of fuelwood scarcity on livelihoods in the study area were adverse and greatly affected women, as compared to men. They included sickening of eyes, breathing difficulties, snake bites and body dislocations, increased domestic violence (wife beating) and sexual abuse (rape), school attendance inconsistencies for school going children, loss of tree cover and low crop yields. Suggested strategies to reduce fuelwood scarcity in area include: promotion of on farm tree planting activities (agroforestry) and energy saving technologies, availing alternative energy sources such as electricity, enhancing family planning methods, skilling of communities on income generation enterprises especially girls. A byelaw on school children with emphasis on girls to collect firewood during weekends only should be formulated and enforced.