Promotion of Sustainable Charcoal Production in Luwero and Nakasongola Districts
Background
Uganda’s energy sector is characterized by over 90% of the population relying on use of biomass, with wood fuel being the main source of heating and cooking in rural and urban areas. Uganda’s energy balance is dominated by biomass based fuels. Firewood and charcoal contribute 88% and 6% to the country’s total energy consumption, respectively. The remaining 6% is shared by electricity, petroleum products and other sources of energy.
In Nakasongola, Luwero and other districts where charcoal production is a major economic activity, its production has reached unsustainable levels, and the charcoal production operations are increasingly a source of environmental concern, especially considering that slow growing hard wood tree species are targeted without plans for replacement planting.
This has led to a wide range of undesirable ecological and environmental consequences such as land degradation and a host of other undesirable effects. The sub-sector is generally characterized by disorganization, inefficient production practices and very low yields.
With anticipated increased demand for charcoal in the foreseeable future and given the current unsustainable production trends, the need for proactive interventions to avert a looming energy (charcoal) supply crisis - with related ecological and environmental consequences - is more than urgent.
Development objectives
The objective of this project is to promote sustainable charcoal production through improved legislation and enforcement as well as promotion of more efficient charcoal production techniques and practices.
Key activities & expected results
The project, based on a participatory process, is to have sensitization and mobilization activities that are aimed at highlighting the problem of uncontrolled and unsustainable biomass energy utilization as well as its consequences to the environment and the sustainability of wood biomass energy supplies. For these reasons, improved controls and regulatory frameworks (e.g. by-laws) are required.
The project will advocate for their adoption and will also seek to demonstrate efficient charcoal production technologies through the setting up of demonstration kilns for efficient charcoal production. In order to improve management of charcoal operations, the project will also encourage the formation of charcoal producer associations to promote agreed wood harvesting and processing approaches that seek to address the negative environmental consequences of current wood harvesting and processing methods.
Implementation phase
The project has conducted awareness and consultative processes by targeting sensitization of local leaders at the sub-county level and is organizing charcoal producers through forming of associations.
Project was in process of preparing draft guidelines for charcoal production and byelaws to facilitate regulation of agreed measures and to prepare an illustrated charcoal production manual, training of charcoal producers, carry out biomass resource mapping and construct 8 demo charcoal kilns in 8 sub counties including 4 in Nakasongola District and 4 in Luwero District to demonstrate sound charcoal production technologies for adoption by charcoal producers. These activities are intended to promote sound wood harvesting and charcoal processing approaches to address the negative environmental consequences of current operations.
