Wood energy interventions and development in Kano, Nigeria: A longitudinal, ‘situated’ perspective

Abstract

This paper provides a longitudinal, critical overview of woodfuel interventions in Kano and northern dryland Nigeria. Woodfuel still accounts for up to two-thirds of energy consumption, yet fuelwood-related issues are often 'by-products' of 'higher priority' energy-environmentdevelopment preoccupations. We suggest that energy policy has historically reflected preoccupations dominated by fossil fuel and new and renewable energy concerns, thereby raising questions about whether and to what extent such interventions reflect a desire to address woodfuel in its own right. The paper adopts a selective critique of some foundational assumptions about the energy-poverty-development nexus, notably in relation to energy transition theory and practice, to explain such outcomes and their practical and policy implications. In doing so, the analysis places particular emphasis on context, to demonstrate why the role of 'situatedness' must be better appreciated in energy circles and, equally importantly, acted upon during woodfuel interventions. More meaningful interventions, the paper concludes, should be based less on insights deriving from generic (wood) energy systems, hierarchies and relations, and considerably more on the lessons to be learned from the dynamic and complex realities of actual (wood) energy practices, networks and economies. In this, as in much else, context remains key.

Remarkable increase in tree density and fuelwood production in the croplands of northern Nigeria

“…Furthermore, such uses do not preclude the woody component being lopped or eventually felled for fuel. Thirdly, whereas all similar recent studies have been conducted in the less densely populated countries of the Sahel zone, government energy policies in Nigeria largely determine fuel options (Maconachie et al, 2009;Cline-Cole and Maconachie, 2016). Given that electricity is rare in rural areas, and kerosene prices unpredictable, a rural population of 7 million in Kano region relies on wood for cooking and heating, and the urban population now estimated at over 3.8 million (Geonames, 2017) relies on wood due to its affordability and availability.…”

“…In a review of remotely sensed vegetation dynamics in West Africa (Karlson and Ostwald, 2016;Knauer et al, 2014), only three of over 100 studies were of Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, where over 40% of land area lies within the Sudan zone (Figure 1). Moreover, it is likely that climate-controlled biomass impacts on local economies will be country-specific due to differing government policies, particularly those relating to energy distribution and energy subsidies (Cline-Cole and Maconachie, 2016). Previous investigations of tree densities in the Kano Close Settled Zone of northern Nigeria (Mortimore and Wilson, 1965) indicated an approximate 23% increase in tree densities surrounding the city between 1972 and 1981, and slight decline in the outer hinterland (Nichol, 1989;Cline-Cole et al, 1990).…”

Charcoal politics in Africa: Value chains, resource complexes, and energopolitics

“…Historical inquiry, required to understand this dense fabric of overlapping authorities and rival claims on revenues, trees, land, labor, and legitimacy, is often missing in existing studies of charcoal (Baptista 2018;Cline-Cole 2007;Cline-Cole and Maconachie 2016;Sola et al 2017). Attention is needed to the recent history of formal state structures but also to colonial rule for the origins of traditional governance arrangements and to contextualize the invocation of tradition in contemporary claims about forests (Berry 2002).…”

Afforestation of Transformed Savanna and Resulting Land Cover Change: A Case Study of Zaria (Nigeria)

“…However, it is supposed that the second half of the 20th century marked the rejuvenation and expansion of the existing as well as the formation of new regions degraded by erosion (Figure 2). This was indirectly related to a rapid increase in the population in this region, which caused an increased demand for food and fuel wood, being a primary energy source used in households, especially in rural and poorly urbanized areas, as well as cities [26,27]. Thus, the increase in the population size is directly connected with deforestation, excessive grazing as well as grassland and shrub burning, which in turn leads to increased surface run-off while reducing infiltration.…”