Prioritization and Selection of High Biomass Energy Producing Plant Species at Boset District, Central Ethiopia: An Ethnobotanical Approach (original) (raw)
Related papers
2021
Background In Ethiopia, about 92.3% of all the fuelwood (firewood and/or charcoal) is consumed for cooking, heating and lighting purposes by domestic households and the demand is growing from 10 to 14%. However, there are little/no practical experiences or documented indigenous knowledge on how traditional people identify and select high fuelwood producing plant species with short rotation periods at Boset District. Therefore, the present study was aimed at: (1) selecting and documenting high fuelwood producing plant species at Boset District; (2) identifying major predictor variables that influence the prioritization and selection of species; and (3) develop a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) to predict the selection of species. Methods A total of 96 informants comprising 59 men and 37 women between the ages of 18 and 81 were sampled. Data were collected using structured interviews, guided field walk, discussions and field observations. Results Collected data indicated that 88.5% of ...
Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment, 2012
and around the semi-arid Awash National Park (ANP), Ethiopia was conducted ethnobotanically. The study aimed to investigate and document various aspects of indigenous knowledge (IK) on fuel wood species and their associated threats. A total of 96 informants between the ages of 20 and 80 were selected using prior information. Data were collected using semi-structured interview, guided field walk, discussions and field observation. Preference ranking, paired comparison, Jaccard's coefficient of similarity and priority ranking were applied for data analysis. A total of 100 species belonging to 71 genera and 38 families were collected within the study area. Of these, 10 species were reported by the Afar Nation, 11 by the Oromo Nation and the rest by both of them. Family Fabaceae was represented by the highest number of fuel wood species, which accounted for 20%. From 27 species used for charcoal and firewood production, 11 species (40.7%) belonged to the genus Acacia. Preference ranking and paired comparison showed that Acacia tortilis is the most selected Acacia species as perceived by key informants within the park for charcoal production. Overgrazing, followed by deforestation were the major threats in the study area, which scored 21.7% and 19.9%, respectively.
Civil and environmental research, 2014
Desa'a forest is a remnant forest of northern Ethiopia, Tigray, which is currently heavily exploited for fuel wood and charcoal processing. Although the forest is gazeted to be protected area, it is not immune from illegal cutting and grazing, resulting reduction of forest cover and biodiversity loss. Hence, the study was intended to assess the species type and parts of the species mostly preferred by fuel wood collectors from the forest area. Purposive stratified random sampling technique was employed to select respondents for interviewing and questionnaire distribution. Field observations and discussion with key informants were also employed to validate the data generated. As the result revealed, woody vegetation species like O. europaea, J. procera and A. etibyca were the most extracted species from the forest with 62.34 % (22.85 tone/day), 13.95 % (5.11 tone/day) and 10.12 % (3.71 tone/day) coverage, respectively. More than 93% of fuel wood extraction from the forest area was only stem/ split wood part leading to whole cutting of the tree species. Hence, the species degradation on the forest area was expected to be more intensive on O. europaea, J. procera and A. etibyca than other species which invite purposive intervention by concerned body.
Forestist, 2022
In Ghana's Guinea savanna ecological zone, fuelwood is the primary source of energy for cooking and heating, but not much is known about the cultural importance of woody species as fuelwood. This study aimed to identify the plant species used as fuelwood and determine their cultural importance in Navrongo Forest District. Totally 246 households that rely on fuelwood as their primary energy source for heating and cooking were selected and interviewed using the free listing technique. The cultural importance index and relative importance index were used to determine the most culturally important species for fuelwood and preferences based on fuel attributes. A total of 32 plant species were identified to be used for fuelwood purposes; Anogeissus leiocarpa was identified to have the highest cultural importance index. The relative importance index revealed that Khaya senegalensis and Vitellaria paradoxa were the most important species based on their fuel attributes. Four species of conservation and economic importance (Khaya senegalensis, Parkia biglobosa, Pterocarpus erinaceus, and Vitellaria paradoxa) were identified as having high cultural importance and relative importance index for fuelwood purposes. It is recommended that species of conservation and economic importance should be evaluated due to the potential impact of their use as fuelwood on biodiversity and local economic development.
Woody and Non-Woody Fuel Biomass Resources in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia
Of the different biomass energy sources, fuel wood provides approximately 78% of the total energy demand, while animal dung and crop residues provide 12% and 9%, respectively (Woody Biomass Inventory and Strategic Planning Project-WBISPP, 2004). Early studies examined these responses within the context of fuel wood production and consumption although there are a number of studies on fuel wood production and consumption in Asian and African countries, the empirical evidence is still limited. Kumar and Hotchkiss (1988) reported that households in Nepal cope with fuelwood scarcity by increasing the time spent for collection. Similarly, Cooke (1998a, 1998b) concludes that when households in Nepal are faced with shortages of environmental goods, as measured by shadow prices, they spend increasing amounts of time for collecting these environmental goods, without affecting agricultural productivity, such that by withdrawing the reallocated time from other activities. The extent to which such widespread use of biomass as fuel energy sources in respect to the availability and rate of consumption in Ethiopia remains uncertain. Thus, a survey study, which could be undertaken in watershed scale, would able to provide useful information that could help the sustainable utilization of forest and plant biomass resources. The objective of this study is to assess available energy resources (woody and nonwoody) in the model watersheds and to estimate the amount and rate of consumption of fuel biomass resources in the model watersheds.
This research was undertaken to understand variation in local knowledge between two ethnic/livelihood, gender, and age groups on indigenous fodder trees and shrubs (IFTS) and correlate local criteria-based valuation with laboratory-based valuation. The study involved 160 respondents, formal interviews, species identification tests, and scoring of trees. Fodder samples taken from the top 20 preferred species were scanned using NIRS (Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy) and their nutritive value was assessed. ANOVA, non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis median comparison test, and Spearman’s rank correlation were used to analyze the data. Local people used diverse criteria falling under three categories: animal-based (5), plant-based (4), and multipurpose criteria (11). Knowledge of fodder trees varied significantly (P , 0.05) between the two ethnic/livelihood groups and gender, but not between age groups. Ziziphus spinachristi and Cordia gharaf were the most locally preferred species for both ethnic/ livelihood groups. Local criteria and NIRS-based valuation of IFTS were weakly correlated, suggesting that species selected only on their nutritive merit may not be preferred and adopted by farmers and pastoralists.
Journal of Global Ecology and Environment, 2024
The study sought to analyze energy consumption trends in Bule hora, Ethiopia, with a particular emphasis on the usage of biomass energy and its impact on deforestation and land degradation. A standardized questionnaire was used to survey 150 households, taking into account various socioeconomic factors. The study discovered a high demand for fuel wood due to the widespread usage of traditional stoves for cooking. The study found that a higher number of respondents (71.4%) expressed positive opinions toward the use of upgraded stoves versus traditional stoves than negative attitudes (28.6%). Approximately 65% of respondents expressed confidence that upgraded stoves have higher fuel wood and energy usage efficiency. Despite budgetary constraints that impede the implementation of better stoves, the majority of respondents voiced great support for them. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that socioeconomic characteristics had a substantial influence on views about the usage of upgraded stoves. It is critical to promote awareness among local inhabitants about the benefits of utilizing upgraded stoves, as well as to work with many stakeholders to distribute these stoves effectively. Government incentives may also be required to encourage widespread use of energy-efficient technologies in Bule hora town, so helping to forest conservation initiatives.
Plant biomass is a major source of energy for rural households in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the heavy reliance on this form of energy is a threat to forest ecosystems and a root cause for accelerated land degradation. Due to the increasing scarcity of fuel wood resources, rural communities have shifted to utilization of crop residues which important resources for soil fertility improvement. Therefore, this study was focused on assessment of woody and non woody fuel biomass resources availability and the rate of consumption in the Somodo model watershed. A survey was conducted in the Somodo model watershed, using a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions for primary data collection. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version 16. The household survey result shows that, the main source of energy in both improved fuel saving stove user and non-user were fuel wood, crop residue and coffee husk for cooking activities. With regard to annual energy consumption, the amount of energy consumed by improved stove non-user is twice higher than improved fuel saving stove user. In addition, the result indicates that both groups (improve fuel saving stove user and non-user) mainly got fuel wood from forest found around their home and from their own farmlands. Hence, the pressure on woody biomass in both groups implies the absence of electricity in the model watershed and this is one of the major factors of exploiting forest resources. As a result, forest resource degradation is the primary threats. Therefore, the study suggests that government and nongovernmental organizations should provide alternative energy sources that can simplify the pressure on the forest resources in the area. 1. INTRODUCTION Renewable energy can support countries to achieve their policy objective for affordable energy to expand electricity access and promote overall growth. As economies develop and become more complex, energy needs increase greatly. From supply point of view, biomass is a renewable energy source because its supplies or endowment are not limited. In the other words, As long as, we grow trees and crops, and waste will always exist. That's why biomass is defined as the term for all organic material that stems from plants. It is produced by green plants converting sunlight into plant material through photosynthesis and includes all organic wastes. Different studies verdict that biomass is the most common form of renewable energy, widely used in the third world countries. According to Kambewa and Chiwaula (2010) report, biomass services exclusive energy source for developing countries. Dunkerely (1981) also summarize in his research that biomass accounts a high proportion of gross national energy consumption at household level. In Ethiopia, Plant biomass fuel is a major source of energy for rural parts and it contributes about 95% of the country's total energy, of which woody biomass provides 82% (EFAP,1993). Though, the heavy reliance on biomass energy has become a threat to forest ecosystems and a major cause of land degradation (Kassahun et al., 2013). As fuel wood resources become scarce, Ethiopian rural communities are left with no alternative source of energy other than depending on locally available resources. According to FAO, in Ethiopia, the supplies of fuel wood are inadequate to meet the existing demand. In developing countries, about 10 million hectares of forest loss in each year as a result of fuel wood collection (FAO, 2010). Due to this reason, fuel wood scarcity and increasing firewood cost become a common phenomenon and crop residue and animal dung are being substituted for fuel wood. In the contrary, this substitution reduces the availability of valuable soil nutrients and hence reduces soil fertility, contributing to reduction of agricultural production (Bewket, 2003). The practice of using crop residue and cattle dung for fuel resource has potential for consequently affecting soil nutrient stocks. The extent to which such widespread use of biomass as fuel energy sources has affected the level of nutrient stocks in the watersheds of Ethiopia remains uncertain. Inefficiency in utilization of energy resources are the other huge problem in the country. The research work by Peter confirmed that traditional energy usage and cooking on open fire stove are contributing to high level of biomass resource extraction and consumption and leads to inefficient utilizations (Peter, 2002). The inefficient utilization use of biomass has directly linked to deforestation, indoor air pollution and decline in agricultural production. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the availability of woody and non woody fuel biomass resources, Utilization efficiency, transformation technologies and the rate of consumption in the Somodo model watershed southwestern Ethiopia.
Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 2021
Background: Melokoza district has many ethnic groups and has a long tradition of using wild plants as a means of livelihood. However, communities' knowledge associated to plants is not fully studied. Hence, this study was conducted to document plant-based indigenous knowledge of the people in order to preserve the tapering off indigenous plant species and their associated traditional knowledge. Methods: Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion and guided field walk. A total of 72 informants were selected from four sampled Kebeles (the lowest administrative unit in Ethiopia) using stratified random sampling. Additional 24 key informants were selected purposively for exhaustive discussion. Preference ranking, paired comparison, direct matrix ranking, and informant consensus factor were calculated. Statistical tests were performed to compare the indigenous knowledge of the local communities on plants uses among different informant categories. Results: A total of 135 plant species distributed in 116 genera and 52 families were recorded. Among flowering families Asteraceae was the most dominant family (15 species), followed by Lamiaceae (12 species). Of the total species, 92 plant species were recorded as medicinal to cure 39 human and livestock ailments. Fresh leaves were the most frequently reported plant parts (36), followed by roots (27). The highest ICF value (0.91) was computed for parasite infections disease categories. Vepris dainellii and Embelia schimperi were the most popular medicinal plants with high informant consensus cited by 51 (71%) and 48 (67%) informants respectively. Cordia africana and Croton macrostachyus were shown to be the top multipurpose and the most utilized plant species in the study area. Significant difference at (P =0.003) was observed on the mean number of plant species stated by groups of respondents compared within gender and age on traditional use of plant species for different purposes. Elder people and traditional healers of the area possess vast knowledge on plant use and ethnomedicinal practices in comparison with the young generation and have a positive correlation relationship (r=0.507) between the age and their traditional medicinal knowledge. Vast knowledge on traditional uses of plant species conveyed from one generation to the next one by the word of mouth and the knowledge transfer system is quite restricted within the family members. Conclusions: The study revealed that Sirso natural forest of the district is a home for high diversity of plant species and associated indigenous knowledge. However, preservation efforts of the community are meager to assure survival of plant species and indigenous knowledge in the area. Thus, awareness creation to the youth and training Ethnobotany Research and Applications 2 to the healers is highly recommended to prevent the loss of plant species with their associated indigenous knowledge.