bioenergy Archives - Resilient Landscapes (RL)

Biomass fuel consumption and indoor air pollution from cooking appliances in refugee settings

Background
Indoor air pollution from reliance on firewood and charcoal remains a major health and environmental challenge in refugee and host communities. Although energy-efficient cooking technologies have the potential to reduce biomass fuel consumption and indoor air pollution, the comparative performance of different technologies under real-household conditions remains limited.

Objective
A study was conducted to quantify household cooking energy consumption and the resulting gas and particle concentrations from selected cooking technologies.

Methods
The study evaluated three cooking stoves: the Three-stone open fire, Lorena, and Traditional metallic stove (TMS), using firewood, charcoal, and briquettes. Eighteen cooking tests measured carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), fuel consumption, and cooking time.

Results
Firewood enabled the fastest cooking, while briquettes with the Lorena stove required twice the cooking time. The Lorena stove consumed slightly more firewood and substantially more briquettes than the TMS, but was more efficient with charcoal. CO levels when using firewood exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) 1-hour guideline by 61% (Three-stone open fire) and 153% (Lorena), while briquettes remained within limits. Both ambient and cooking-related CO₂ concentrations remained below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) permissible exposure limit, whereas ambient PM₂.₅ concentrations averaged 28 µg/m³ , exceeding WHO air quality guidelines.

Conclusions
The study found context-dependent performance variations, challenging the assumption that improved cooking technologies are universally effective. Despite reducing cooking-related pollutants, briquettes and the Lorena stove alone cannot address elevated ambient PM₂.₅ levels, highlighting the need for integrated air quality interventions.

A framework for evaluating the impacts of expanded trade and investment on forests: Customary rights and societal stakes

The forest sector is more embedded in the global economy than ever. With globally significant supplies of land and raw materials and favorable terms for foreign investors, developing countries – particularly in Africa – have become increasingly attractive trade partners and destinations for investors. Economic growth is anticipated to increase demand for energy, water, food and forest products (Toyne et al, 2002; White et al, 2007), trends which are already evident in the recent food and fuel crises. Increasing competition over land is placing new pressures over vast tracts of forest and woodland, areas often considered “under-utilized” by national governments despite their critical role in supporting local livelihoods. While increased demand for forest products and agricultural commodities in the context of forest tenure reforms and decentralized decision-making (Sunderlin et al, 2008; White and Martin, 2002) could create unprecedented economic opportunities for forest-dependent communities, increased “stakes” over forest resources and land will heighten governance challenges. This paper provides a conceptual framework for analyzing shifting patterns of tenure and rights in the forestry sector for a host of sectoral and extra-sectoral commodities shaping forests. It aims to provide a framing for case studies to be presented at a panel entitled, “Large-Scale Investments in the Forest Frontier: Customary Rights and Societal Stakes” (Panel ID No. 461). By presenting case studies from diverse contexts (Africa, Asia, Latin America) and sectors (agriculture, energy, forestry, mining), the utility of the framework will be explored while distilling key commonalities and differences in shifting patterns of customary rights and societal stakes associated with large-scale land and resource acquisitions in the global South.

Cooking fuels and household air pollution in resource-constrained urban environments: A field assessment

Household air pollution from cooking remains a major public health and climate challenge in low-income urban areas. In Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya high population density living in poorly ventilated houses, surrounded with poor waste management and use of charcoal in inefficient stoves and kerosene expose people to harmful emissions. This study assessed household energy use, cooking time, and emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from cooking with charcoal, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and electricity under real-world conditions, and explored implications for health and climate policy. Participatory cooking tests of breakfast and dinner were conducted in three households that used all four fuel types identified in a household survey. Real-time measurements of CO, CO2, and PM2.5 were taken before, during, and after cooking. Data were analysed using Welch’s ANOVA with Games–Howell post hoc tests. Cooking with any fuel resulted into some household air pollution and charcoal and kerosene produced the highest concentrations of the studied gases and particles. LPG and electricity produced low concentrations and there was no significance difference between the two. The household ambient PM2.5 was 213 μg/m3 implying that people are living in houses with this pollutant being 14.2 times above the 24-h threshold of 15 μg/m3 by World Health Organization guidelines. Hence no fuel switch alone will address household air quality in the informal settlement.

Early-stage sustainability assessment of greywater treatment with Moringa oleifera seed extract and biochar

Access to safe and reliable water remains a significant challenge in much of the Global South, especially in rural areas where greywater treatment infrastructure is lacking. This study presents an early-stage sustainability assessment of a novel system that utilises biochar and Moringa oleifera seed extracts to treat greywater in rural Kenyan households. The proposed solution combines local biochar, a by-product of wood gasification cookstoves, and powdered Moringa oleifera seed cake, a residue from local agroforestry activities. The presented assessment applied a qualitative approach that integrates life cycle, circular bioeconomy, and sustainable sanitation principles. The key sustainability opportunities involved in the assessed system include improved human health and hygiene, the carbon sequestration potential of biochar, greywater reuse, and efficient use of local biomass resources. However, the system also involves risks related to filter media disposal, nutrient loss and system maintenance. The analysis highlights the trade-offs between using Moringa oleifera seed cake for water purification and animal feed. Moreover, the early-stage assessment identifies the need for pilot trials, participatory design and data collection to develop future life cycle analyses and implementation strategies. This integrated approach provides a sound basis for the sustainable development of natural greywater treatment systems that meet the goals of a circular bioeconomy.

A Pathway to a Forest-Positive Bioeconomy in Indonesia: Harnessing Degraded Lands for Food and Energy Security

Indonesia stands at a critical juncture, navigating the trilemma of rapidly increasing demands for food and energy while concurrently pursuing ambitious climate change mitigation and forest conservation targets. The government’s recent policy focus on utilizing millions of hectares of state forest land for food and bioenergy production presents both a monumental opportunity and a significant ecological risk. This perspective argues that Indonesia’s national security goals can be ― and must be ― achieved by redirecting development efforts toward the nation’s vast degraded, marginal and underutilized lands rather than risking further natural forest conversion. We outline a clear, science-based pathway centered on restoration-oriented, climate-smart agroforestry (CSAF) and bioenergy systems. These integrated systems, utilizing locally adapted, multi-species combinations of food crops, high-value bioenergy trees and livestock, offer a scalable model to enhance land productivity, secure rural livelihoods and achieve net carbon sequestration. This approach decouples economic development from deforestation, serving as the essential foundation for building a truly forest-positive bioeconomy that ensures resilience, prosperity and ecological integrity for Indonesia.

Tree-based intervention typologies and improvements in refugee displacement regions

Concern about deforestation in contexts of refugee displacement is substantial. Tree-based interventions (TBIs) are efforts to plant trees, conserve trees, and/or facilitate tree regrowth. TBIs are implemented by non-governmental organizations in refugee displacement contexts to address landscape-level deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss while providing livelihood opportunities to participants. Although humanitarian stakeholders recommend TBIs in refugee-hosting regions, the diversity of TBI models and associated strengths and weaknesses are not well understood. This research focuses on five TBIs implemented in a northwest Uganda refugee settlement that include large-acre woodlot planting, household-level planting of trees yielding short-term products, and conservation site establishment to protect indigenous tree species. Interviews and focus-group discussions with TBI staff revealed that each intervention makes trade-offs in navigating five key challenges associated with TBI implementation in a refugee context: Obtaining access to land, providing short-term livelihood benefits to participants, gaining equitable involvement by gender, achieving environmental conservation goals, and successfully engaging community members. Significant differences were found between the strategies of TBIs implemented at home sites when compared to TBIs implemented at community sites. While TBIs implemented at home sites are intended to provide participants long-term access to tree products with clear user rights and enable women to grow trees alongside ongoing domestic activities, TBIs implemented at community sites can achieve large-scale environmental goals and provide cash-based employment opportunities to participants. An applied integrated landscape approach is recommended to maximize inter-program collaboration and collective benefits across programs, while realizing sustainable TBI impacts within complex socioecological refugee displacement contexts.

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.

Large-scale plantations, bioenergy developments and land use change in Indonesia

Indonesia’s forests make up one of the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems. They have long been harvested by local people to meet their daily needs. Since the 1970s, a combination of demographic, economic and policy factors has driven forest exploitation at the industrial scale and resulted in growing deforestation. Key factors behind the forest loss and land use change in present-day Indonesia are the expansion of oil palm, plywood production and pulp and paper industries. Oil palm has been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Indonesian economy, increasing from less than 1 million hectares in 1991 to 8.9 million hectares in 2011. The plywood and pulp and paper industries have also expanded significantly since the log export ban in 1985. All three sectors have contributed to deforestation. Several measures are being taken to reduce the loss of tropical forests in Indonesia. These measures are driven by growing global concern about the impact of deforestation on biodiversity and global warming and the Indonesian government’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A major policy initiative revolves around developing renewable energy from biomass that can be sourced from oil palm, sugar, cassava, jatropha and timber plantations. This paper analyzes these measures and assesses the conditions under which they may be most effective.

Natural resources for resilient, inclusive rural transformation

This paper examines the role of natural resources in fostering resilient and inclusive rural transformation. It reviews land and water availability for agriculture, highlighting the reliance of poor and vulnerable rural communities on these resources. As land degradation, climate change, and competition intensify, current agricultural models face limits in supporting inclusive development. The paper proposes four complementary pathways for improved natural resource management: enhancing resource use efficiency, promoting diversification, developing a sustainable bioeconomy, and applying integrated landscape approaches. These require inclusive governance, clear rights, and coordinated policies and investments to balance trade-offs and ensure equitable, adaptive use of natural resources.

Integrating bioenergy and food production on degraded landscapes in Indonesia for improved socioeconomic and environmental outcomes

Growing bioenergy crops on degraded and underutilized land is a promising solution to meet the requirement for energy security, food security, and land restoration. This paper assesses the socioeconomic and environmental benefits of agroforestry systems based on nyamplung (tamanu) (Calophyllum inophyllum L.) in the Wonogiri district of Central Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through field observations and focus group discussions involving 20 farmers who intercrop nyamplung with maize, rice, and peanuts and utilize the species in honey production. Calculating each crop’s net present value (NPV) demonstrates that when grown as monocultures, staple crops rice and peanuts lead to negative profitability, while maize generates only a marginal profit; yet honey production utilizing nyamplung produces a NPV nearly 300 times greater than maize. However, when utilizing nyamplung, honey is also the commodity most sensitive to decreases in production, followed by nyamplung–peanut and nyamplung–rice combinations. While decreases in production have little effect on the NPVs of rice, peanuts, and maize, these annual crops can only be cultivated for a maximum of 6 years within the nyamplung’s 35-year cycle, due to canopy closure after this time. Nyamplung-based agroforestry systems can provide economic, social, and environmental gains on different scales. However, when considering the high profit potential of nyamplung combined with honey production, further research is needed to improve and develop bee husbandry practices so this becomes a viable option for local farmers.

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