Abstract:
Humans have for long relied on charcoal production for their energy needs, as
evidence of production sites and kilns are found dating from the middle ages
onwards. Urbanisation in sub-Saharan Africa at the beginning of the 20th
century heralded a new era where charcoal production was highly
commercialised due to high energy demand in urban areas. However, this new
found importance of charcoal lacked policy and institutional support in many
sub-Saharan countries. This led some scholars to believe that due to rapid
population growth and inefficient wood fuel consumption techniques, subSaharan Africa was headed for a wood fuel crises by the end of the century.
While the wood fuel crises never materialized and was dispelled as simplistic
and alarmist, the damage on charcoal as a potential sustainable source of
energy was done. The negative image of the charcoal industry is because it has
been mainly associated with environmental degradation and pollution,
unstainable use of wood, and a toxic work environment. However, views on a
more positive role of charcoal production on livelihoods of rural communities
have been emerging. It is now widely accepted that production and use of
charcoal will increase and continue into the future in sub-Saharan Africa. This
therefore calls for better understanding of the role of charcoal in land cover
change, its impact on species composition and rural livelihoods. It is from this
understanding that sustainable management strategies of this resource can be
explored. This study was designed to give a 3600
view of charcoal production
at a very local scale in order to get an intensive understanding of the effects of
charcoal production on the environment and the local community. In order to
gain such understanding, we have used an array of methods and disciplinary
perspectives: integrating remote sensing, ecological studies, economics and
modelling in one study.
