Household cooking fuels, their environmental impacts and community priority interventions in refugee settlements in Uganda

Africa hosts approximately 14 million refugees; nearly one-third of the global refugee population. Uganda alone hosts over 1.8 million refugees, with their settlement on small plots of land (~ 50 × 50 m), within host communities exerting pressure on natural resources and accelerating environmental degradation. This paper presents a study on the root causes and consequences of woodfuel sourcing and utilization and community priority interventions in Rhino and Imvepi Refugee Settlements in Uganda for informed decision making. Data was collected via a household survey through personal communication with 381 respondents (62 men, 319 women), key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). The results showed that firewood was the dominant fuel used by 96 % of hosts and 97 % of refugees, followed by charcoal (40 % and 59 %, respectively). Fuel stacking (using more than one fuel type) was reported by 48 % of hosts and 73 % of refugee households. Our study highlights that refugees presented greater reliance on charcoal and crop residues, reflecting firewood scarcity and charcoal’s availability as a traded commodity. Women and children, particularly among refugees, faced greater hardships in accessing firewood. Environmental degradation from woodfuel sourcing and utilization is driven by socio-cultural norms, economic hardship, weak policy enforcement and inadequate skills and poor awareness of sustainable practices; leading to deforestation, air pollution, soil degradation, biodiversity loss and adverse impacts on livelihoods. The root causes and impacts from woodfuel sourcing and use are complex and deeply interconnected, highlighting the need for transdisciplinary, gender-responsive and context-specific approaches to promote sustainable and cleaner woodfuel systems in both host and refugee communities.

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