Make charcoal economy sustainable

As you may already know, there has been a lot of controversy concerning the charcoal business after Kenya suspended logging in forests for a period of three months, citing acute water shortage caused by destruction of forest cover. In return, the Busia Resident District Dommissioner (RDC), Hussein Kato Matanda, has declared cross-boarder sale of charcoal to Kenya illegal.

As global crude oil prices continue to rise, majority of households in East Africa still depend on wood and charcoal as a primary energy source, which has increased logging – illegal and legal - that clears large swathes of forests.

The 2015 National Charcoal Survey for Uganda concluded that vegetation cover significantly reduced from 45 per cent in 1990 to about 11.7 per cent in 2013 due to the ever increasing pressure and demand exerted by the rapid population growth and economic activities.

Kenya’s forest cover is rated at 5.3 per cent. Between 1990 and 2000, Kenya lost an average of 12,600 hectares of forest per year.

In a recent study by The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, it was concluded that along with South America, Africa loses forests at a faster rate than any other place on earth.

Our charcoal production has doubled in the past two decades and now accounts for more than 60 per cent of the world’s total.

In Uganda, it is estimated that more than half of its forest cover has been lost in the past 30 years to charcoal production and its demand continues to increase.

This has made charcoal trade a multi-billion dollar industry yet it is poorly regulated and in its current form, is unsustainable.

The unsustainable approach puts the charcoal sub-sector’s contribution to the national economy at risk because it provides employment to a large number of semi-skilled and unskilled labourers at different stages of production, transportation and distribution.

Uganda yields more than 20,000 jobs from charcoal while firewood and charcoal contribution to Uganda’s GDP is estimated at $48 million and $26.8 million respectively (The 2015 National Charcoal Survey for Uganda).

During an extensive tour with workmates in Luweero District, about 40kms after Zirobwe Town, we encountered a group of men - my neighbours from Kikyusa, who used to be maize farmers, selling bags of charcoal by the roadside. When we engaged them, these community members portrayed lack of awareness about the connection between rainfall and a healthy or degraded environment.

One of them called Kabanda said he had begun supplementing his income by selling charcoal. Early this year, he became a full-time charcoal burner. “It rains less nowadays,” he said. “That is why I resorted to making charcoal. No one is going to help; we need money”.

He and his friends are now involved in charcoal burning that is threatening to wipe out the remaining forest cover in the vast dry district. They engage in charcoal production to provide income to meet one-off purchases of expensive items, respond to an income shock, or to meet recurrent seasonal needs.

The charcoal sub-sector, is unfortunately, characterised by low interest from investors, inadequate enforcement of regulations, poor organisation of players, use of inefficient technologies, lack of standards and unsustainable production practices. We have regulatory frameworks to support sustainable use of natural resources, including forestry resources.

However, the level of compliance to these policies and regulations is still very low and suffers challenges of low funding leading to misuse and degradation of the environment.

Charcoal consumption and trade has a significant contribution to the national energy supply and economic development. To achieve sustainable use, the unutilised government land should be leased to investors to plant tree deliberately for charcoal production.

The government and its agencies in- charge of the charcoal sub-sector, civil society and development partners, should consider community involvement and sensitisation for dedicated forest plantations for charcoal production. The reality is that the rural population has limited access to electricity.

Wood and its by-product charcoal are, unless radical steps are taken, likely to remain the primary energy source for decades.

Environmentalists predict that in the next 30 years, a lot of forests and landscapes are going to be degraded because of charcoal demand, and due to the lack of policies to counter that effect.

Any future charcoal alternative has to fill the gap. We should start long-term planning and aim at industrialisation and learn from other countries, particularly China and Brazil, where people have switched from firewood and charcoal to fossil fuels (cooking gas and kerosene).