Charcoal value chains in Kenya: a 20-year synthesis

Ndegwa, Geoffrey; Sola, Phosiso; Ilyama, M.; Okeyo, I.; Njenga, Mary; Siko, I.; Muriuki, Jonathan

doi:10.5716/wp20026.pdf

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Most participants preferred firewood to charcoal, stating that using firewood is not only their cultural heritage, but also a more affordable option. Use of charcoal seems to be reserved for the comparatively more well-off urban population (QMM 2001), as is the case in many parts of Africa (Kersten et al 1998;Tabuti et al 2003;Arnold et al 2006;Woollen et al 2016;Ndegwa et al 2020) and southeast Asia (Sovacool 2013; Win et al 2018). As one of the Mandena participants disclosed, it is not uncommon for charcoal producers to sell all the charcoal they make to increase their income, and use firewood themselves.…”

Section: Construction Materials Firewood and Othermentioning

confidence: 99%

People, Lemurs and Utilitarian Plants of the Littoral Forests in Southeast Madagascar

et al. 2022

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Tropical forests support a diversity of plants. Many of them are threatened, emphasising that their shared use by people and wildlife may benefit their conservation. Litt forests of southeast Madagascar, home to seven threatened lemur species, provide the Antanosy people with natural resources. In the early 2000s, protected areas were established in two regions that historically incurred different levels of anthropogenic pressures: Sainte Luce and Mandena. We explored the local use of plants as medicine, construction materials and firewood, and examined the overlap of plants used by people and the red-collared brown lemur (Eulemur collaris), the largest lemur in this ecosystem and an important seed disperser. Between July and October 2018, 60 adults (30 women, 30 men) participated in semi-structured interviews. Our findings show 122 plants are locally used as medicines, 60 as construction materials, and 71 as firewood. Of all utilitarian plants, 52 were confirmed in this lemur’s diet. Sainte Luce participants reported they used a higher diversity of species in all three categories. Western medicines were available and preferred to medicinal plants, but the choice also often depended on the health condition being addressed. Firewood was preferred to charcoal for cooking. Resource restrictions of the protected areas has negatively affected the local people. Local ethnobotanical knowledge reflects the importance of plants, while differences in plant use of the two communities reflect differences in biodiversity and socio-economic circumstances. Emphasising this interdependence, especially in forest restoration, could be a path towards conservation of plants, lemurs, and people, as well as traditional livelihoods.

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Section: Construction Materials Firewood and Othermentioning

confidence: 99%

People, Lemurs and Utilitarian Plants of the Littoral Forests in Southeast Madagascar

et al. 2022

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“…CPAs, were, before the ban, responsible for sustainable charcoal production that did not degrade the forest cover and coordinated reforestation activities and development of conservation plans for sustainable charcoal production. Consumption is not forbidden and hence considerable charcoal production and use still continues even after the ban in 2018 [32]. Since charcoal production and trade is informal and partly banned, precise production or consumption figures are not easily available.…”

Section: The Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Business Models for Informal Charcoal Producers in Kenya

Mutta¹,

Larwanou

Wekesa

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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The sustainable business model (SBM) concept requires enterprises to integrate sustainability aspects in their planning and operations. Although 60% of the global working population make their living in the informal sector mostly in low-and middle income countries, the potential for SBMs has rarely been analyzed for this category. This study explores the SBMs of informal charcoal-producing enterprises in coastal Kenya. It describes key business-model components: value proposition, value creation and delivery, and economic value capture. Impact and dependency on sustainability-related indicators were also studied. Data were obtained through individual interviews, focus-group discussions, and workshops for charcoal producers and other relevant stakeholders. Findings demonstrated that charcoal enterprises, despite their informal status, adopt elaborate business models. The incomes positively affect several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by reducing, if not eradicating, poverty and supporting basic livelihood needs. Examples of negative impacts on some SDG include the activity’s contribution to forest degradation. Feedback impacts, where SDG status influence the informal enterprises’ opportunities were also identified. The SBM model contributes to the development of a balanced sustainability transition of the charcoal sector. We suggest further analyses of the role of informal enterprises in the bioenergy sector for sustainable development and how their SBMs could be improved.

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“…Value chains in the charcoal sector have been well studied by FTA scientists, who have demonstrated that the sector provides critical employment and income for multitudes of rural and urban poor people, especially women (Njenga et al 2013a;Bennett et al 2018;Sola et al 2019;Ndegwa et al 2020). COVID-19 has put at risk the nutrition and incomes of millions of people, especially in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, by disrupting supply chains for charcoal (Schure et al 2021b).…”

Section: Value Chainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomass, Bioenergy and Biomaterials

H.,

R.R.,

M.A.

2021

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Charcoal value chains in Kenya: a 20-year synthesis

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

People, Lemurs and Utilitarian Plants of the Littoral Forests in Southeast Madagascar

People, Lemurs and Utilitarian Plants of the Littoral Forests in Southeast Madagascar

Sustainable Business Models for Informal Charcoal Producers in Kenya

Biomass, Bioenergy and Biomaterials

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