Urban energy transitions and rural income generation: Sustainable opportunities for rural development through charcoal production

Smith, Harriet Elizabeth; Jones, D. H.; Vollmer, Frank; Baumert, Sophia; Ryan, Casey M.; Woollen, Emily; Lisboa, Sá Nogueira; Carvalho, Mariana; Fisher, Janet; Luz, Ana Catarina; Grundy, Isla; Patenaude, Geneviève

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.08.024

Cited by 33 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…With clear ownership arrangements in place, problems and conflicts occurring due to the open access of the resource can be reduced [100,166]. For selected, often high-value NTFPs, specific management plans have been developed which provide guidance on sustainable management, in particular harvesting practices (e.g., [82,97,108,130,141,142,145,150,160]). Strategies included strongly vary depending on the resource; however, common principles include preference for non-destructive, minimal impact harvesting and spatial and/or temporal regeneration periods.…”

Section: Raw Materials Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, even if regulatory frameworks with regard to NTFP access and management have been put into place, they are often insufficiently implemented. Common problems include high levels of bureaucracy [106,131,141,142,144], a lack of monitoring and low enforcement [131,145], corruption [86], and low levels of awareness and capacity building amongst NTFP collectors.…”

Section: Raw Materials Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Where regulations with regard to access and marketing NTFPs do exist, lack of law enforcement and corruption are further obstacles to professionalizing NTFP value chains [86,144,145,176]. A high level of bureaucracy and unclear or unrealistic procedures to follow also inhibit a further development of the sector [131,141,142,144], particularly since NTFP regulations are often embedded in broader frameworks considering rural development or agriculture [106]. NTFP innovations are typically generated from the bottom-up, due to the limited influence of institutional systems [177].…”

Section: Features Of the Broader Institutional Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Processing of Non-Timber Forest Products through Small and Medium Enterprises—A Review of Enabling and Constraining Factors

Meinhold

Darr

2019

Forests

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Research Highlights: This study reviews the available literature on processed non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in order to comprehensively identify relevant factors enabling or constraining their potential to contribute to rural development. Background and Objectives: NTFPs, such as wild foods, medicinal plants, and raw materials for handicrafts, make significant contributions to rural livelihoods. NTFPs can help fulfil households' subsistence and consumption needs, serve as a safety-net in times of crises, and provide cash income. In particular, the processing of NTFPs has often been suggested to positively influence sustainable economic development in rural areas. However, despite rising interest and recognition of the potential contributions of such industries as key sources of employment and their strategic role in overall growth strategies of developing countries, many NTFP processing enterprises remain in the informal sector and an in-depth understanding of the underlying factors is lacking. This review aims to identify enabling and constraining factors affecting NTFP processing enterprises. Materials and Methods: Using systematic review methodology, studies investigating commercialized, processed NTFPs and their economic impacts have been identified and the current evidence base with regard to NTFP processing and small and medium sized enterprise (SME) development synthesized. Results: Despite the diverse nature of NTFPs, a number of constraining and enabling factors affecting NTFP processing and commercialization were identified. The former includes aspects such as the lack of resource access (finances, skills, technologies, etc.), market information, and basic infrastructure; the latter, amongst others, the role of key entrepreneurs; and cooperation across the value chain, amongst producers, and among members of the institutional environment or an abundant resource base. Moving from small-scale NTFP commercialization in local markets to more mature NTFP value chains reaching export markets, the increasing role of cooperation and having a supportive institutional framework in place, becomes apparent. Conclusions: Overall, successful NTFP processing strongly depends on the socio-economic and environmental context in question, requiring a holistic approach tailored to the respective context and value chain.

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Section: Raw Materials Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Raw Materials Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Features Of the Broader Institutional Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Processing of Non-Timber Forest Products through Small and Medium Enterprises—A Review of Enabling and Constraining Factors

Meinhold

Darr

2019

Forests

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“…Its production provides a considerable amount of employment in rural areas, allows for a quick return on investments and is often practised in conjunction with agriculture (Ogundele et al 2011;Sedano et al 2016;Jones et al 2016;Smith et al 2017). Charcoal production is an income-generating activity for rural populations living near Mopane woodlands in southern Africa (Makhado et al 2014;Baumert et al 2016;Zorrilla-Miras et al 2018;Smith et al 2019). In Mabalane District, the focus of this study, external largescale operators and local rural households engage actively in charcoal production (Baumert et al 2016), with wealthier households producing comparatively more charcoal (Smith et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of charcoal production and woodland type on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in drylands of southern Mozambique

Lisboa

Woollen

Grundy

et al. 2020

Forest Ecology and Management

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African woodland ecosystems function as important reservoirs for soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN). However, these ecosystem functions are particularly sensitive to social-ecological factors, the impacts of which remain understudied. Here, we examine how vegetation type and charcoal production affect SOC and TN in dry woodlands of southern Africa, focusing on three woodland ecosystems that represent the main types in southern Mozambique: Androstachys forest, Combretum woodland and Mopane woodlands. Drawing on data from soil surveys at 0-5 cm and 0-30 cm depth in different vegetation types and both distant from and proximate to sites of active charcoal production, we estimate that woodlands in Mabalane District store on average 19 ± 10 (± SE) Mg ha-1 of SOC, and 2.2 ± 0.9 Mg ha-1 of TN at 0-30 cm, significantly lower than values reported for other Miombo woodlands in the region. Our analysis shows that woodland type does not directly influence the amount of SOC and TN stored in soil, and that soil proximate to charcoal kilns had twice the amount of SOC (30.0 ± 1.8 Mg ha-1) and TN (4.5 ± 0.5 Mg ha-1) compared with non-charcoal plots. This study adds to our understanding of the impact of charcoal production on soil SOC and TN in dry woodlands of southern Africa, and demonstrates some localised impacts of charcoal production. We discuss the implications of our findings in the light of emerging carbon-based payments for ecosystem services programmes in the region.

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“…Between 2014 and 2015, quantitative and qualitative social and geospatial data were collected from the 27 studied villages: Mabalane was sampled during May-October 2014; Marrupa May-August 2015; Gurué August-December 2015. Villages had similar vegetation types, infrastructure, climatic conditions and dominant land use activities, relative to each case-study site in which they were located (Baumert et al, 2016;Luz et al, 2015;Mahamane et al, 2017;Smith et al, 2019;Vollmer et al, 2017;Woollen et al, 2016;Zorrilla-Miras et al, 2018). We based village selection on stringent criteria to ensure comparability between villages (e.g.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of land use intensification on human wellbeing: Evidence from rural Mozambique

Smith

Ryan

Vollmer

et al. 2019

Global Environmental Change

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Intensifying land use is often seen as a corollary of improving rural livelihoods in developing countries. However, land use intensification (LUI) frequently has unintended impacts on ecosystem services (ES), which may undermine the livelihoods of the same people who could benefit from intensification. Poorer households are disproportionately dependent on ES, so inequalities may also rise. A disaggregated analysis of LUI is thus fundamental to better understand how LUI can progress in an equitable manner. Using a suite of multiscale, multidisciplinary social-ecological methods and operationalising multidimensional concepts of land use intensity and wellbeing, we examine three case studies in rural Mozambique. Drawing on qualitative focus group discussions, 1576 household surveys and geospatial data from 27 Mozambican villages, we assess how wellbeing and inequality change with three common LUI pathways: transitions to smallholder commercial crop production, charcoal production, and subsistence expansion. Wellbeing improved with intensification of smallholder commercial and subsistence agriculture, inequality did not change. Intensification of unsustainable charcoal production showed no overall effect on either wellbeing or inequality. Improvements in wellbeing amongst the poorest households were only found with intensification of commercial crop production where villages had highly accessible markets. Our findings suggest that socioeconomic benefits from agricultural intensification and expansion may overcome localised environmental trade-offs, at least in the short term. However, unsustainable charcoal resource management and limited productive investment opportunities for rural households resulted in both reduced market access and limited wellbeing improvements. Sustainable and inclusive markets are therefore crucial developments alongside LUI to sustain wellbeing improvements for all households, to ensure that no one is left behind.

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Urban energy transitions and rural income generation: Sustainable opportunities for rural development through charcoal production

Cited by 33 publications

References 53 publications

The Processing of Non-Timber Forest Products through Small and Medium Enterprises—A Review of Enabling and Constraining Factors

The Processing of Non-Timber Forest Products through Small and Medium Enterprises—A Review of Enabling and Constraining Factors

Effect of charcoal production and woodland type on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in drylands of southern Mozambique

Impacts of land use intensification on human wellbeing: Evidence from rural Mozambique

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