In this infographic, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) debunks the most common misconceptions about wood fuel production, trade and consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Tag: charcoal
Evaluating charcoal producers’ preferences for improved production systems in Marigat sub county, Baringo County
Many households in Kenya depend on charcoal as an important source of energy. However, overharvesting of trees and the use of inefficient technologies promote unsustainable charcoal production. Furthermore, high demand for charcoal from slow-growing indigenous species contributes to increased pressure in the drylands, threatening future supply and livelihoods. Recent studies have shown that Prosopis juliflora an invasive species introduced to arrest desertification equally produces quality charcoal. Also, improved technologies with more efficient carbonization rates have the potential to reduce not only the number of trees harvested but also quality of charcoal. Despite the existence of improved technologies, and the presence of fast-growing Prosopis juliflora, charcoal production remains unsustainable in Baringo County. This study used choice experiments (CE) to determine charcoal producers willingness to pay (WTP) for improved charcoal production system in Marigat sub-county.The attributes measured include charcoal quality, wood quality, P.juliflora growth trend and kiln type. Primary data was collected from a sample of 384 randomly selected charcoal producers using a semi-structured questionnaire. Study results indicate that charcoal producers were willing to pay more charcoal quality improvement which is associated with improved production systems and quality wood. However, they were not willing to pay for improved kilns. The findings suggest that the charcoal producers have a natural inclination to improved technologies with the study recommending charcoal producer association (CPA) membership as the first and efficient point of contact to adopt and use improved technologies.
Impact of COVID-19 on woodfuel value chains in the DRC: Addressing risks and vulnerabilities of operators and end-users
The COVID-19 pandemic, including the health impacts of the virus itself and measures to contain and mitigate them, has far-reaching impacts on economies, value chains and livelihoods. The pandemic has revealed the extent of vulnerability in our societies to risks and shocks. Indeed, most of these vulnerabilities were triggered or amplified by the crisis or its responses.
CIFOR-ICRAF has organized a Rapid Research Response to identify the impacts of the pandemic on woodfuel value chains in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This serves to better identify and address risks and vulnerabilities in agriculture and forestry. This, in turn, helps strengthen resilience in landscapes, value chains and the livelihoods of people who depend on them, all to “build back better.”
Rethinking Fuelwood: People, Policy and the Anatomy of a Charcoal Supply Chain in a Decentralizing Peru
In Peru, as in many developing countries, charcoal is an important source of fuel. We examine the commercial charcoal commodity chain from its production in Ucayali, in the Peruvian Amazon, to its sale in the national market. Using a mixed-methods approach, we look at the actors involved in the commodity chain and their relationships, including the distribution of benefits along the chain. We outline the obstacles and opportunities for a more equitable charcoal supply chain within a multi-level governance context. The results show that charcoal provides an important livelihood for most of the actors along the supply chain, including rural poor and women. We find that the decentralisation process in Peru has implications for the formalisation of charcoal supply chains, a traditionally informal, particularly related to multi-level institutional obstacles to equitable commerce. This results in inequity in the supply chain, which persecutes the poorest participants and supports the most powerful actors.
The environmental, socioeconomic, and health impacts of woodfuel value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic map
Background
In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the production and use of woodfuel remains an important socio-economic activity with more than 70% of the population relying on woodfuel as their primary household energy source. Despite their socio-economic significance, woodfuel value chains are often viewed negatively due to their association with detrimental health and environmental impacts. However, the lack of sound evidence and limited understanding of the role of contextual factors in influencing the various impacts of woodfuel value chains have prevented the formulation of properly guided policy interventions. Thus the objective of this systematic map is to provide a comprehensive review of the environmental, socio-economic, and health impacts of woodfuel value chains across SSA.
Methods
The search strategy for this review map was defined in a peer-reviewed protocol and refined by iterative testing. Search strings were composed of population, intervention, and location terms and combined using Boolean operators. The bibliographic databases Web of Science, Scopus, and CAB Abstracts were used as the main sources of literature for this review, and a total of 4728 results were initially retrieved. Following title and abstract screening, 659 entered full text screening. Critical appraisal of 219 articles led to the exclusion of studies that did not set meet quality criteria for this map, resulting in a final total of 131 articles for inclusion in data extraction and analysis.
Results
From the 131 included articles, 152 individual studies were identified during data extraction. Studies came from 26 of the 49 Sub Saharan African countries, with a particular preponderance of articles published in the last 10 years. Critical appraisal found significant weaknesses in the experimental design of woodfuel value chain studies with the exception of health impact studies, which frequently utilized controls or other relevant comparators. Findings suggest that woodfuel value chains have environmental, socioeconomic and health consequences with the frequent presence of trade-offs. The reporting of contextual factors in the studies challenge the widespread perception of deforestation as being directly caused by bush fires, overgrazing and woodcutting. Instead, agricultural expansion (which often includes forest clearing) and pre-existing biophysical factors were the most frequently cited factors in shaping environmental outcomes.
Conclusions
This systematic map suggests that there are environmental, socioeconomic and health consequences associated with woodfuel value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the literature also shows a weak and geographically limited evidence base to justify the above claims. We argue that policy formulation processes targeting woodfuels in SSA require more solid, coherent and broad body of knowledge, especially for such a vital sector in rural economies. Thus, there is an urgent need to design and undertake research using robust methodologies, at appropriate scales that further takes into account the interrelationships between environmental and socio-economic outcomes in order to generate substantial and reliable evidence for informed policy formulation.
Efficiency of charcoal production in Sub-Saharan Africa: Solutions beyond the kiln
With charcoal set to remain an important energy source throughout Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in the foreseeable future, this paper focuses on improving the efficiency of carbonisation as one contribution to more sustainable charcoal value chains. While the efficiency of woodto-charcoal conversion is often considered a technical matter of kiln performance, this study aims to shed light on the role of the enabling institutional context and the capacities of the players involved. We first review initiatives for enhanced charcoal production in different SSA countries. We then compare the data on carbonisation processes in two production areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Yangambi and the Bateke Plateau. The main findings are: 1) Large gains in wood-to-charcoal conversion rates are possible by improving carbonisation techniques, but success largely depends on the context-specific appropriateness of kiln solutions, on the capacity and awareness of producers and on the enabling institutional context. 2) Enhancing capacity among operators and other stakeholders requires efficient kiln techniques, but also raising awareness on benefits and sustainable sourcing options, building financial and management skills among producer organisations and improving transportation, handling and marketing. 3) The illegal or informal status of charcoal producers across SSA detracts from the efficiency of charcoal production processes, while an enabling institutional framework facilitates producers’ access to permits and funding, provides for simple taxation with incentives for more sustainable practices and links technical requirements for carbonisation to sustainable sourcing and end-uses. The success or failure of improved kiln techniques and related socio-ecological outcomes is co-determined by solutions that include the aspects of capacity enhancement, acceptability and enabling institutions identified in this paper. Further development of these solutions in partnership with producers enhances the potential for more sustainable fuelwood value chains.
Woodfuel policies and practices in selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – a critical review
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is still very dependent on biomass fuels, which cover 60% of its total energy demand. Although woodfuel is an important energy source for millions of people in SSA, it is rarely given sufficient recognition in energy policies. For decades, government policies have assumed that economic growth and the result increases in household incomes would be better than produce a switch to more “modern’ fuels. However, with persistently high levels of poverty and lack of access to affordable alternative energy sources, this transition is far from becoming a reality. This article conceptualizes woodfuel governance and analyses policies and institutional mechanisms relevant to the woodfuel subsector in selected countries: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Zambia. Based on a structured review of the literature, it assesses existing policies and legal mechanisms and their implementation, in the context of current practices along woodfuel value chains in these same countries. The main finding is that although recognition of woodfuel as a major energy source has increased in most countries, it is often associated with negative environmental outcomes and positive socio-economic outcomes. Of late, governments in several countries have developed policies and legislative frameworks to guide, manage, support and regulate woodfuel production and trade. Despite the legal provisions, the woodfuel industry operates largely in the informal sector and is unregulated and/or suppressed in some places. Governance of woodfuel value chains is faced with the major challenges of unclear institutional arrangements and enforcement mechanisms, limited capacities and corrupt behaviour, as well as inadequate investment and financing. Therefore, more integrated and responsive governance is required for sustainable woodfuel value chains to become a reality.
Charcoal value chains in Kenya: a 20-year synthesis
Biomass fuels remain a very important energy source for millions of Kenyans, consistently meeting close to 70% of domestic energy requirements over the decades. The charcoal sub-sector is one of the most important sources of employment and is reported to be a major source of livelihood for about 0.64 million people, with a market value worth billion. Woodfuel, especially in the form of charcoal, is produced in rural areas and consumed in peri-urban and urban areas, moving through connections between numerous actors, thus forming value chains and networks. The aim of this study was to conduct a literature review to investigate, document and map these value chains from production to consumption in order to assess overall economic significance of charcoal and identify opportunities and priority interventions for developing sustainable charcoal value chains. The value chain analysis approach was used to determine the flow of woodfuel and ascertain distribution of income and profit within and among groups of actors along the value chain. The literature review established that the main value chain actors in Kenya comprise wood producers, charcoal producers, transporters, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. In some cases, the actors are supported by agents and brokers who facilitate linkages and transactions along various stages of the value chain. For many of the charcoal-producing households, income from sale of charcoal accounted for over 50% of the total household income. Monthly income of transporters was estimated to have increased more than 1,100 times between 2000 and 2013, with bribes paid at checkpoints accounting for 20-30% of the final retail price. Net profits of retailers were estimated to be 14%. The charcoal value chain is dominated by men, except in retailing where women accounted for 57% of the actors. In addition, charcoal value chains do have negative environmental and health impacts which can be mitigated by adoption of appropriate production and consumption technologies. The review shows that, charcoal value chains remain an important energy, livelihood and income source for many in Kenya but is increasingly associated with negative environment and health outcomes. However, in the short- to medium-term there is need to increase investments in the sub-sector and develop sustainable and competitive woodfuel value chains.
Towards sustainable charcoal production and trade in Baringo County
Key messages
- Woodfuel, particularly charcoal, is an important energy source in urban areas and a livelihood source in rural areas.
- Actors in the Baringo–Nairobi charcoal value chain get between KES 107 and 613 per bag of charcoal depending on their location and role.
- In most parts of Baringo County, charcoal is produced from the invasive species Prosopis juliflora (mathenge, also known in some countries as ‘mesquite’).
- Community members, stakeholders and county officials identified priorities for the production and governance of the mathenge charcoal value chain.
- Strategies include proper management of biomass, efficient processing and effective utilization, and adequately regulated and supported value chains from production to consumption.
Good governance of woodfuel value chains will only be achieved when there are transparent, consistent and coordinated regulatory institutional mechanisms that support and incentivize compliance and penalize illegality along the whole value chain. The County Environment Committee initiated a governance process, whilst community members have been engaged in sustainable mathenge charcoal production in Marigat Sub-county.
Towards sustainable charcoal production and trade in Kitui County
Key messages
- Woodfuel, particularly charcoal, is an important livelihood source in Kitui County, with consumption largely in urban areas within and beyond the county, where it is still a critical energy source.
- While charcoal movement out of the county has been banned since 2018, trade has continued in some form because of inadequate support, guidance and regulation.
- While briquette production has been promoted, it has not seen substantial demand.
- Because charcoal production has continued, a sustainable charcoal value chain in Kitui County has to be explored, including i) management of woodlands and sustainable harvesting of trees, e.g. through natural regeneration and enrichment planting of trees on degraded private and public lands; ii) promotion of efficient processing and carbonization; and iii) efficient and clean cooking.
- Current institutional arrangements for guiding, supporting and controlling the value chain activities and actors can be improved to enhance the sustainability, enforcement, compliance, capacity and competitiveness of local value chains.
- World Agroforestry (ICRAF), Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) and partners undertook a number of activities in Kitui County and more widely in Kenya as a whole to generate evidence, knowledge and policy options, and to facilitate engagement for more sustainable woodfuel value chains under the project entitled Governing Multifunctional Landscapes (GML) in sub-Saharan Africa launched in 2018. This brief summarises the key interventions and learnings from the project with particular focus on Kitui County.