Online Symposium: “Fuelwood in the tropics: From cooking stoves to deforestation” Session #2 – 10 Oct 2023

Online Symposium: “Fuelwood in the tropics: From cooking stoves to deforestation” Session #2 – 10 Oct 2023

The International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) and the International Forestry Working Group of the Society of American Foresters (IFWG-SAF) are offering the second session of the online symposium “Fuelwood in the tropics: From cooking stoves to deforestation” on Tuesday 10 October 2023 at 10 EDT – 12 EDT (New York City Local Time | UTC – 4). More information is posted at xxx. Find your time zone at https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. Register for the session at https://forms.gle/d58cv1aGxnxChtLh9.

The presentation videos from Session #1 are available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwGsom_l27zq4vUOEqEvPajLMeFuK2BfY .

Symposium schedule:

a. Introduction to the symposium series. Sheila Ward, ISTF (2 min)

b. Intro to speakers and topic. Puneet Dwivedi, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, USA & IFWG-SAF (5 min)

c. Efficient Fuelwood Use as a Strategy to Reduce Household Pressure on Natural Forests of the Guinea Savannah Zone of Nigeria. Omotayo Idris Ajao, University of Ilorin and Save Sahara Network, Nigeria.(15 min)

d. Charcoal Movements inside Zambian Cities: From Peri-urban Markets to Low and Medium Density Suburbs. Nixon Chisonga, School of Social Sciences, Mulungushi University, Zambia (15 min))

e. Potential of Carbonized Briquettes to Enhance Sustainability in Woodfuel Supply in Sub-Saharan Africa. Timothy Namaswa, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Kenya (15 min)

f. The KLIMA project: Firewood for reforestation in Haiti. Freny Alcinat, Centre d’enseignement et de coopération internationale, Haiti and Catherine Ruest Belanger, Viridis Terra International, Canada (15 min)

g. Open Discussion (Moderators Dwivedi / Ward – 50 min)

The symposium videos will also be posted on the ISTF YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64ds-AZiXfNPtJ-gX4Jw1w

SPEAKERS

*Omotayo Idris Ajao, Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant at the Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ilorin and Program Coordinator at Save Sahara Network, Nigeria

Omotayo Idris AJAO, graduated with a B. Forestry and Wildlife degree from the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. Currently, he serves as a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant in the same department, working under the guidance of Dr. Folaranmi Babalola. During his time as an undergraduate, Omotayo collaborated with senior researchers on projects related to Ecological Assessment, Land use and Land volume equations, Silviculture, and Environmental Education. His research interests revolve around Forest dynamics and Forest Ecology, Biodiversity Conservation, Silviculture, and Forest Economics. Omotayo has actively participated in numerous national and international conferences, further enriching his academic and professional experience.

Efficient Fuelwood Use as a Strategy to Reduce Household Pressure on Natural Forests of the Guinea Savannah Zone of Nigeria

The research investigates the socio-economic factors influencing the adoption and utilization of efficient cookstoves in selected rural communities of the Guinea Savanna zone in Nigeria, before their introduction. The project specifically focuses on rural households located in the Guinea Savanna zone of Kwara State, where charcoal production and firewood collection by households are prevalent. Remarkably, nearly all the surveyed women expressed their willingness to transition from their current inefficient three-stone cookstoves to the improved and efficient cookstoves proposed by the research team. Subsequently, the research team introduced the improved cookstoves to the rural communities with the objective of reducing pressure on natural forests. The cookstoves were constructed for the community members, and they received training on how to build them. Additionally, the project involved the participation of the youth in the communities, as well as the community school teachers, to ensure sustainability by introducing conservation education into their school curriculum.

*Nixon Chisonga, Lecturer, Environmental Issues in Less Developed Countries, School of Social Sciences, Mulungushi University, Zambia

Nixon Chisonga is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Lusaka (Zambia). He holds an M.Phil and Honours Degrees from the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and a BA Degree from the University of Zambia (Zambia). He is a Lecturer of Environmental Issues in the Third World Countries at Mulungushi University. In 2011/12, he designed the Socio-economic component of the Integrated Land Use Assessment project (ILUA) for Zambia and finalised as a Forest Livelihoods and Economic Survey. He has over the years conducted research studies on renewable energy; conservation farming; as well as land tenure and socio-economic dynamics of Game Management Areas of North-western province of Zambia.

Charcoal Movements inside Zambian Cities: From Peri-urban Markets to Low and Medium Density Suburbs

This is the first study to investigate the contribution of low and medium density suburbs to charcoal consumption inside two Zambian cities: Lusaka and Kitwe. The study used rapid assessment surveys at two intervals to examine charcoal movement between 2012 and 2019. A total of 941 individual consumers of charcoal at active charcoal markets in peri-urban areas were interviewed. Individuals were selected to demonstrate the movement of charcoal to the consumers’ areas of residence. Semi-structured questionnaires guided the data collection, and quantitative and qualitative analysis were used. We found that charcoal was widely distributed to low, medium and peri-urban households for household use. Peri-urban areas were mainly receiver and distributor points for onward charcoal movement into low and medium density suburbs of Zambian cities. We used a postcolonial analytical framework to assert that information should not be distorted nor rooted in any historical imbalance of knowledge and power generation, but within local communities in which charcoal consumption occurred.

*Timothy Namaswa, 1). School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K. 2). National Forest Products Research Programme, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya

Timothy Wekesa Namaswa is a commonwealth scholar from Kenya, working as a research scientist at Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) under National Forest Products Research Programme. Currently, Mr Namaswa is a PhD student in Plant Science at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, specializing in optimization of biochar production from most common crop residues in Sub-Saharan Africa for bioenergy production and soil amelioration for sustainable development.

Potential of Carbonized Briquettes to Enhance Sustainability in Woodfuel Supply in Sub-Saharan Africa

Carbonized briquettes from agricultural residues could reduce woodfuel demand and deforestation by providing energy that could otherwise be provided by woodfuel. This paper estimated the potential of carbonized briquettes as a source of energy in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using secondary data. SSA experienced a woodfuel supply-demand deficit of 55.4% by 2022. Annually, SSA generated 469.36 x 106 t yr-1 of surplus residues, that could produce 221.09 x106 t yr-1 of biochar, with the potential of 1700.26 x 106 GJ yr-1 of energy that could otherwise be generated by 249.33 x 106 t yr-1 of wood, that is equivalent to 11.2% of annual woodfuel demand.

*Freny Alcinat¹ and Catherine Ruest Belanger²

¹ Project Manager at CECI (Centre d’enseignement et de coopération internationale), Haiti

² Consultant for Viridis Terra International, Canada

Frény Alcinat is an agronomist specialized in natural resources and technology transfer. He is implicated in the design, implementation and monitoring of agroforestry projects throughout his country, working directly with farmers and local organizations to improve their technical skillsets in the face of climate change.

Catherine Ruest Bélanger is a forest engineer specializing in smallholder forestry. She acts as a technical support for the implementation of international development projects in Haiti, while also counselling forest owners in Quebec, Canada, in the field of food sovereignty.

The KLIMA project: Firewood for reforestation in Haiti

The firewood industry has long been blamed for deforestation in Haiti. CECI, an international cooperation organization, and Viridis Terra International, a company specializing in the restoration of degraded lands, decided to turn that story around and make the firewood industry a driver of reforestation. This idea gave birth to the KLIMA project, which took place in the North and Northeast of Haiti from 2017 to 2021. Since then, the project has been extended to the South of Haiti, whilst trees and mentalities have had time to grow in the North and Northeast. We will be delighted to share results and lessons learned from this experience so far.