November 23, 2021, Kumasi, Ghana – Ninety percent of the wood produced each year in sub-Saharan Africa is used for fuel, posing a major sustainability challenge. Wood fuels, primarily firewood and charcoal, are the main energy source for cooking for two-thirds of households and are a key element in maintaining food security. Millions of households rely on woodfuel production for their livelihoods, but high dependence on woodfuels raises social, economic, environmental, and health concerns. Such complex problems require a broader approach.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting an international conference that begins today, bringing together wood fuel producers, forest managers, forest and energy decision makers, environmentalists, technology innovators, scientists and academics, policy makers, civil society and government agencies in Kumasi and online. Together they will assess the challenges and learn from each other to move the sector towards sustainability without compromising livelihoods that depend on sustainability.
The woodfuel challenge is urgent as population and usage grow
“This is an urgent issue because levels of woodfuel use are already very high and with population growth and urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa, the demand for woodfuels will further increase, with serious environmental impacts,” said Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa. “We need the cooperation of all stakeholders to work on innovative solutions to make wood fuel production and trade sustainable.”
Based on current trends and progress towards SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), by 2030 more than 2 billion people, mainly in Africa, will rely on traditional biomass for cooking. The conference, “Sustainable Woodfuel Value Chains in Africa: Governance, Social, Economic and Ecological Aspects”, will raise awareness of the impacts of current practices on woodfuel production and consumption and possible paths towards sustainable forest management and restoration that support the transition to green energy.
Informality and governance debate
The informal nature of woodfuel production and trade is one of the key issues highlighted by participants at the three-day conference. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, there are ongoing efforts to organize, regulate and control the industry, making it illegal in some areas, despite opposition from producers who have no other sources of income. In some rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, such as Kenya, as many as 60% of people work in charcoal production, with few alternative employment options.
Grassroots organizations give voice to forest users
The successes of producer organizations in finding sustainable solutions to charcoal production will be highlighted at the conference. “Producers are highlighting the misconception that the use of wood fuels always leads to environmental degradation,” said Nora Belamouni, FAO senior forestry officer and one of the event organizers. “Instead, they would explain that by coming together as cooperatives, woodfuel producers have been able to train themselves in more sustainable wood extraction, such as cutting branches rather than whole trees to allow regrowth, or using improved charcoal kilns. Producer cooperatives are also setting up native seed nurseries and educating themselves on managing invasive species,” she said.
In Zambia, the Forest Farming Facility (FFF) encouraged producers to collaborate and established the Zambia National Forest Commodities Association (ZNFCA). Because they are organized, they are able to collectively manage their tree resources, and their certified sustainable charcoal is clearly recognizable on supermarket ‘green’ labels.
Nkumbwa Mark Kahyata is vice president of the Choma Charcoal Association and he and his wife, Charity Mkhwinpizi, have been producing charcoal in the Mask area for the past 10 years. When they saw the supply of trees rapidly dwindling, they decided to stop felling and taught themselves to harvest only selected branches rather than whole trees. We now also use improved kilns that make charcoal production more sustainable.
“Belonging to an association is a huge benefit. It reduces the stigma of being charcoal producers and allows us to be recognized by our traditional leaders,” he said. The producers’ group that Nkumbwa and Charity belong to has also set up its own nursery to grow seedlings to restore the forest.
FFF operates in 12 countries in Africa and the rest of the world and is a partnership between FAO, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and AgriCord.
Partners and frameworks
The conference, Sustainable Woodfuel Value Chains in Africa: Governance, Social, Economic and Ecological Aspects (23-25 November), aims to bring together participants from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, fostering understanding and sharing of knowledge, best practices and solutions, and contributing to the implementation of pan-African initiatives and frameworks such as the African Union’s Sustainable Forest Management Framework for Africa (2020-2030) and the African Forest Landscape Restoration. Initiative (AFR100). It is also a response to the recommendations of the African Forest and Wildlife Commission to compile, analyze and disseminate good practices for sustainable charcoal production and the adoption of alternative energy sources.
The consortium of institutional partners includes the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Global Agroforestry (ICRAF), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Copenhagen, International Federation of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), African Forest Policy and Politics (AFORPOLIS), Tropenbos Ghana, and FAO. The conference is sponsored by the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, the Ghana Forestry Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ghana Energy Commission.
The event will be held online in both English and French at KNUST Business School in Kumasi, Ghana.
#Africanwoodfuel21
