Making charcoal production in sub-Sahara Africa sustainable
2010
Region
Africa
The objective of this study is to assess the bottlenecks and the possible solutions with regard to making charcoal production in Africa sustainable (with a special focus on South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania).
The key topics of the report includes:
- Characteristics of the charcoal sector, describing the general characteristics of the various steps in the charcoal value chain, from fuelwood harvest, via charcoal production and transport & trade to end-use. Attention is paid to the main technical, socio-economic and environmental aspects. The chapter also includes a discussion of the economic relevance of the charcoal sector across Africa.
- Main sustainability issues related to the charcoal sector, in particular criteria for sustainable biomass production.
- Lessons learnt from past interventions of governments, development agencies and civil society organizations. The emphasis is on presenting a selection of the more successful interventions, and the lessons that have been drawn from these interventions.
- Based on the lessons learnt recommendations for future interventions.
Keywords
Charcoal, value chain, sustainability, sustainability criteria, biomass production, charcoal supply chain, socio-economic assessment, case study, community forest management, sub-Sahara Africa
Type of initiatives
Sector review and study
Level of intervention
Regional
Responsible agencies
NL Agency; Netherlands Programmes Sustainable Biomass; BTG Biomass Technology Group