Adapting to Fuelwood Scarcity: The Farmers' Perspective

Abstract

About 3 billion people worldwide depend on fuelwood to meet their domestic energy needs. Almost 90% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa use fuelwood-based forms of energy. However, its use is often unsustainable and is one driver of environmental degradation. In Tanzania, the majority of rural residents depend on fuelwood as their major source of cooking energy. The adaptation measures applied by small-scale farmers in response to fuelwood scarcity are typically unsustainable with regard to socioeconomic , environmental, and food security dimensions. This study applies a methodological framework that assesses the personally experienced impact of coping strategies by local stakeholders on sustainability criteria. This framework comprises (1) the selection of appropriate adaptation measures; (2) the identification of local sustainability criteria; and (3) the participatory impact and frequency assessments at two case study sites in the semi-arid region of Dodoma in central Tanzania. Overall, eight coping strategies from 23 measures applied in the region were selected and four sustainability criteria defined by local key informants were identified. The participatory impact and frequency assessment show that the strategies of "on-farm tree planting" and "use of improved cooking stoves" are rated as positive across all four sustainability criteria and are regularly applied by the farmers. Two of the eight strategies are clearly negative: "eat fewer meals" and "increase in walking distance to collect fuelwood." These measures are regularly and widely used by farmers, thus amplifying the negative rating. Overall, the experiences of farmers suggest that applied coping strategies have the greatest negative effect on the environmental condition and, on average, a rather positive effect on economic conditions. The results offer an approach for developing a reliable monitoring of how adaptation measures are applied in response to fuelwood scarcity and to achieve distinct values for benchmarking.

Unraveling the effect of gender dimensions and wood fuel usage on household food security: evidence from Ghana

“…It is estimated that globally, over 2 billion people rely on fuel wood for cooking purpose. More than 90% of Africa's population rely on fuel wood (either fire wood or charcoal) ( Scheid et al., 2019 ).…”

Allometric equations for estimating on-farm fuel production of Gliricidia sepium (Gliricidia) shrubs and Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea) plants in semi-arid Tanzania

“…84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany. 2 World Agroforestry (ICRAF), ICRAF Country Programme, TARI Mikocheni, P.O. Box 6226, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.…”

“…Most rural households in Tanzania depend on wood fuel from the remaining forests. A reported annual loss of forest and woodlands of more than 370,000 ha year −1 challenges rural populations as they must cover ever increasing distances to collect fuelwood that meets their energy demands [1,2]. This especially affects women and children who are mainly responsible for collecting wood fuel.…”

“…The situation is aggravated by the fact that most smallholder farmers in rural Tanzania use unimproved cooking devices to cook their daily food [3], which reportedly consume more fuel than Improved Cook Stoves (ICS). Studies have shown that fuel scarcity leads to shifting cooking habits, including skipping meals, cooking composite meals, reducing the number of cooked meals per day, and cooking fast meals, which are often nutrientpoor [2,4]. Around 80% of the Tanzanian population depends on fuelwood to meet domestic needs, including cooking, boiling water, lighting, and heating [5].…”

Tree species used for fuelwood by remote indigenous communities in West Papua, Indonesia: Implication of empowerment program

“…Fuelwood has been an important source of domestic energy to fulfill household needs for cooking and heating, particularly in rural areas since prehistorical times (Bunafsha et al 2014;Waris and Antahal 2014). About 2.5 to 3 billion people worldwide still depend on woody biomass as a source of fuel (UNEP 2019; Stoner et al 2021;Scheid et al 2019). According to Masera et al (2015), about 40% of the global population depends on traditional bioenergy, accounting for 9% of global energy use and 55% of the global wood harvest.…”