In Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo, where over 80% of households rely on charcoal, unsustainable production is a major driver of forest degradation. This study examines how the women’s association AFEVADES, in collaboration with CFT sawmill and CIFOR-ICRAF, transformed wood residues into sustainable charcoal, focusing on gender dynamics and environmental impacts. Initially an informal survival strategy, the initiative evolved after AFEVADES officially registered in 2020, gaining access to carbonization training and microcredit. As a result, the group doubled production efficiency, reduced processing time, and secured a stable wood supply.
The project has strengthened women’s economic autonomy, with women leading 95% of operations, managing earnings, and supporting households through food, education, and home construction. Over four years, 2,638 m³ of wood residues were converted into 11,000 bags of charcoal, reducing forest pressure. While still modest in scale, this model highlights the potential of gender-inclusive, community-driven solutions in supporting livelihoods and forest sustainability, emphasizing the need for policy support and investment to expand sustainable practices.
Tag: deforestation
Makueni County Forest and Landscape Restoration Implementation Action Plan (FOLAREP) 2024-2032
Makueni County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. It borders Machakos County to the North, Kitui County to the East, Kajiado County to the West and Taita Taveta County to the South. It is also one of the 29 Arid and Semi-arid lands (ASALs) of counties in Kenya. The forest cover in Makueni County is 5.38 % while the tree cover is 12.47% according to the National Forest Resources Assessment (NFRA) Report 2021. The county has a population of 987,653 with an annual growth rate of 5.1% and poverty rate of 34.8%. Forests and landscapes in Makueni are under immense pressure both from natural and anthropogenic factors resulting in slightly more than 13% of the total county area being degraded (NFRA, 2021). There is illegal and unsustainable logging for charcoal production, wood fuel and timber that has contributed largely to loss of forest ecosystem goods and services. Whereas Kenya committed herself to the Bonn Challenge and AFR100 in 2016 to restore 5.1 million hectares of deforested and degraded lands in order to address the associated challenges identified in the Country, there are no joint or coordinated efforts in carrying out restoration in the County by different actors.
Refugee women grow trees to protect people and forests in northwest Uganda
This study explores the impact of deforestation in refugee settlements, particularly on women, who are often the primary collectors of firewood. The research highlights the dual role that women play as both victims of environmental degradation and agents of change. Through the case of Charity, a South Sudanese refugee, the study showcases how refugee women are taking the initiative to address the issue by planting trees and creating sustainable solutions to meet their energy and building material needs. Charity’s efforts reflect a broader movement where women, often marginalized in environmental decision-making, are leading community-based programs to conserve natural resources and protect their welfare.
Do tree plantations support forest conservation?
Key messages
- Tree plantations potentially support natural forest conservation. The main hypothesis for this effect is that tree plantations substitute natural forests for production, especially when plantations achieve high productivity.
- An exhaustive review of the published literature shows a diversity of analytical approaches with theoretical modeling, econometrics or descriptive statistics as main categories.
- This diversity reflects the complexity of translating a simple assumption into models because of the many factors at play. The analysis is all the more necessary as the positive substitution effect is straightforward, but potential negative (as well as other positive) impacts resulting from feedback/indirect effects, e.g. displacement of deforestation or replication of successful policies elsewhere, require more sophisticated methods to be understood.
- There is a convergence of findings of reduced degradation of natural forests with the expansion of tree plantations, but also potential increased deforestation due to lower market value of natural forests in the absence of logging (or displacement effects).
- A main limitation of studies pointing to the risk of forest conversion resulting from plantation expansion is the lack of consideration of policies and regulations that could prevent such deforestation, e.g. protected areas established where risks are high.
- These results are likely to apply partially to the case of fuelwood collection by local people – with less degradation but no identified outcome in terms of deforestation – yet much depends on household characteristics and the respective locations of plantations and forests.
- The limited number of studies challenges any general recommendation, yet a promising way forward may be the promotion of highly productive plantations in strategic places where agricultural rents are low, while taking action at the demand level to avoid a rebound effect whenever the price elasticity of demand for wood products is high.
- Continued production in natural forests, in a sustainable manner, might also help prevent deforestation, with wood products sold on niche markets and at a higher price owing to premiums (e.g. certification).
Deforestation for cocoa plantations to secure land tenure and income around a proposed national park in south west Cameroon: how to reduce leakages in conservation policies?
Agroforestry System Research: Identification of Land Use Change Drivers and Scaling Up of Trees on Farms for Transforming Livelihoods and Landscapes
Over the past decades, smallholder farming sectors in developing countries have experienced profound land use changes, driven by diverse socio-economic, political, and environmental factors. These shifts have led to deforestation, environmental degradation, and complex changes in agricultural landscapes, with the underlying drivers varying significantly across local, national, and regional contexts. Amid these challenges, agroforestry has emerged as a promising approach to promote sustainable agricultural intensification and landscape restoration. However, the heterogeneity of smallholder systems—shaped by agro-ecological conditions, institutional structures, and policy frameworks—means that no single agroforestry solution is universally effective. To design interventions suited to specific local contexts, it is essential to understand the factors behind deforestation and explore the motivations, constraints, and decision-making processes that influence farmers’ adoption of agroforestry technologies. The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), known today as World Agroforestry, has played a pioneering role in this field, leading efforts to refine agroforestry’s contributions to both livelihoods and environmental sustainability over the past four decades. Research led by ICRAF has provided critical insights into deforestation’s causes, its socio-economic impacts, and the nuanced factors shaping farmers’ choices in different regions. Japanese scientists have been instrumental in this work, contributing to academic and policy discussions that have deepened the understanding of environmental change, particularly in Southeast Asia and East Africa. In Southeast Asia, studies have shed light on the socio-economic consequences of deforestation and its implications for local communities, informing strategies to mitigate its impact. Meanwhile, in East Africa, researchers have worked to unpack farmers’ decision-making processes regarding agroforestry adoption, revealing the complex interplay between economic incentives, environmental concerns, and institutional support. Moving forward, continued research in agroforestry must explore even more targeted approaches, refining interventions that align with the diverse realities of smallholder farmers worldwide. By combining scientific inquiry with contextual knowledge, researchers can develop innovative solutions that not only promote sustainable land management but also support local livelihoods and strengthen resilience in agricultural communities.
Transparent monitoring in practice: A guide to effective monitoring in the land sector. Book II – Case studies of transparent monitoring approaches
Land management plays a crucial role in addressing climate change, which makes transparent monitoring essential. Countries have considerable flexibility in setting targets, defining the scope of the land sector, and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from it. They are, however, required to do this in a manner that promotes transparency and provides sufficient accuracy, completeness, comparability, and consistency.
The Transparent Monitoring project identified a set of criteria designed to overcome such challenges that are introduced by Book I. This Book II presents a collection of case studies demonstrating successful implementation of transparent monitoring approaches, based on experiences in Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, and Peru. These cases address specific needs identified by the countries, ranging from technical work on emission factors for forest conversion to palm oil plantations, via mapping of deforestation drivers based on remote sensing, improving communication of cacao mapping for different stakeholders, to making use of community-based monitoring information for forest restoration and deforestation alerts.
The case studies show that transparent monitoring approaches are not merely a technical requirement but a powerful enabler of meaningful climate action. By addressing existing challenges and building on the successes outlined in this report, countries can establish monitoring systems that drive transformative change. The path forward requires commitment, collaboration, and innovation, but the outcome will be more effective land sector policies, with benefits including enhanced resilience and contributing to containing climate change.
Forest clearing in rural livelihoods: household-Level global-comparative evidence
This paper examines the factors that influence rural household decisions to clear forestland. We use a large dataset comprising 7172 households from 24 developing countries. Twenty-seven percent of sampled households had converted forest to agriculture during the previous 12 months, clearing on average 1.21 ha. Male-headed households with abundance of male labor, living in recently settled places with high forest cover, unsurprisingly tended to clear more, but regional peculiarities abounded. Households with medium to high asset holdings and higher market orientation were more likely to clear forest than the poorest and market-isolated households, questioning popular policy narratives about poverty-driven forest clearing.
Etude comparative mondiale du CIFOR sur la REDD+: Fiches d’information sur les conclusions et objectifs de recherche
Policy progress with REDD+ and the promise of performance-based payments: A qualitative comparative analysis of 13 countries
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) has emerged as a promising climate change mitigation mechanism in tropical forest countries. This paper examines the national political context in 13 REDD+ countries in order to identify the enabling conditions for achieving progress in the implementation of countries’ REDD+ policies and measures. The analysis builds on a previous qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of various countries’ progress with REDD+, conducted in 12 REDD+ countries in 2012. A follow-up survey in 2014 was considered timely because the REDD+ policy arena, at international and country levels, is highly dynamic and undergoes constant evolution, which affects progress with REDD+ policy making and implementation. In this paper, we examine whether the ‘promise’ of performance-based funds has played a role in enabling the establishment of REDD+. The results show a set of enabling conditions and characteristics of the policy process under which REDD+ policies can be established. Two key findings of our analysis, the importance of already initiated policy change and the relevance of available performance-based funding in combination with strong national ownership of the REDD+ process, may help guide other countries seeking to formulate REDD+ policies that are likely to deliver efficient, effective and equitable outcomes.