Reading through the Charcoal Industry in Ethiopia

Zenebe Girmay, Melaku Bekele

Description

Studies in many African countries show that charcoal making is among the primary drivers of deforestation and subsequent land degradation. In the case of Ethiopia, charcoal is produced from state-owned (public) forests and woodlands. There is little regulatory intervention from the government side. Moreover, production is more traditional and the producers have little idea that charcoal can be produced efficiently with modern technologies. Although charcoal meets significant portion of urban households� energy needs in the country, and also support the livelihood of tens of thousands of rural households, it hardly attracted the attention of policy makers and development agents. A good majority of urban population who use charcoal on regular basis doesn�t seem to know how charcoal is made, from where it comes, and its adverse environmental impacts. In cognizant of the potential environmental impact of charcoal production and marketing in the country, FSS commissioned this study with the objective to understand the environmental, social and economic implications of charcoal production, marketing and consumption in Ethiopia with aim to generate/increase awareness among the general public and incite a policy debate among concerned key stakeholders.

Sujets

• Sociology

Informations

• Publié par: Forum for Social Studies
• Date de parution: 12 juin 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9789994450510
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

READING THROUGH THE CHARCOAL INDUSTRY IN ETHIO : PIrAoduction, Marketing, Consumption and Impact Melaku Bekele and Zenebe Girmay
Studies in many African countries show that charcoal making is among the primary drivers of
deforestation and subsequent land degradation. In the case of Ethiopia, charcoal is produced
from state-owned (public) forests and woodlands. Tere is little regulatory intervention
from the government side. Moreover, production is more traditional and the producers have
little idea that charcoal can be produced efciently with modern technologies. Although
charcoal meets signifcant portion of urban households’ energy needs in the country, and
also support the livelihood of tens of thousands of rural households, it hardly attracted the
attention of policy makers and development agents. A good majority of urban population
who use charcoal on regular basis doesn’t seem to know how charcoal is made, from where
it comes, and its adverse environmental impacts.
In cognizant of the potential environmental impact of charcoal production and marketing
in the country, FSS commissioned this study with the objective to understand the
environmental, social and economic implications of charcoal production, marketing and
consumption in Ethiopia with aim to generate/increase awareness among the general public
and incite a policy debate among concerned key stakeholdersReading through the Charcoal Industry
in Ethiopia:
Production, Marketing, Consumption and Impact
Melaku Bekele and Zenebe Girmay
FSS Monograph No. 9
Forum for Social Studies (FSS)
Addis Ababa
© 2013 Forum for Social Studies (FSS)
All rights reserved.
Printed in Addis Ababa
Typesetting & Layouts: Konjit Belete
ISBN 13:
Forum for Social Studies (FSS)
P.O. Box 25864 code 1000
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.fssethiopia.org.et
This Monograph has been published with the financial support of the Civil
Societies support program (CSSP). The contents of the Monograph 9 are the sole
responsibilities of the author and can under no circumstances be regarded as
reflecting the position of the CSSP or the FSS.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement v
List of Tables vi
List of Figures vii
Abbreviations and Acronyms viii
Executive Summary ix
1. Introduction 1
1.1. Background 1
1.2. Objective and Scope of the Assessment 6
1.3. Study Areas and Methods 6
1.3.1. Study Areas 6 1.3.2. Methods 7
1.4. Structure and Limitation of the Study 10
2. Fuel-Wood Production and Consumption in Ethiopia:
11
Historical Review
2.1. Fire-Wood 11
2.2. Charcoal 13
2.3. Fuel-Wood Scarcity: Brief Account 15
3. Charcoal Production 17
3.1. What is Charcoal? 17
3.2. Charcoal Quality 17
3.3. The Charcoal Makers 18
3.4. Charcoal Making Technologies 19
3.5. Production of Charcoal Briquettes 26
3.6. Charcoal Producing Areas and the Preferred Tree Species 30
3.7. Charcoal Production Trends 32
4. Charcoal Supply, Marketing and Consumption in Selected
35
Cities and Towns
4.1. Introduction 35
4.2. The City of Addis Ababa 39
4.2.1. General Features of Respondents 40
4.2.2. Views of Respondents on Charcoal Supply,
40
Marketing and Consumption
4.2.3. Charcoal Inflow 43
4.2.4. The Charcoal Trade Chain 45





4.3. Mekelle (Tigray Regional State) 47
4.4. Awash and Gewanie (Afar Regional State) 49
4.5. Bahir Dar (Amhara Regional State) 53
4.6. Adama (Oromiya Region55
4.7. Hawassa and Arba-Minch (SNNPR) 57
4.8. Harshin (Somali Regional State) 59
4.9. Dire Dawa City 61
5. Charcoal Impacts 63
5.1. Charcoal Impact Assessment 63
5.2. Forest Resources of Ethiopia and the Charcoal Impact
5.2.1. Forest and Woodland Resources 63
5.2.2. The Charcoal Impact on Forests and Woodlands 66
5.3. The Charcoal Impact on Climate 69
5.4. The Charcoal Impact on Soil 72
5.5. The Charcoal Impact on Human Health 73
6. The Institutional Deficits in the Charcoal Industry: The Way
77
Forward
6.1. Institutional Shortfalls 77
6.2. The Way Forward 79
6.2.1. Charcoal as a Policy Agenda: Recognize and
79
Legalize The Industry
6.2.2. End-Open Access Situation 80
6.2.3. Establish a Management System 81
6.2.4. Establish a Charcoal Agency and a Data Centre 81
6.2.5. Initiate Forest Plantations for Charcoal Production 82
6.2.6. Improve Charcoal Technology and Diversify Its
83
Sources
6.2.7. Develop Modern Energy Sources 84
6.2.8. Education and Research 85
References 87
]�
Acknowledgement
We shall extend our gratitude to Forum for Social Studies (FSS) for giving us
the opportunity to study the charcoal issue in Ethiopia. We also acknowledge the
overall support by the Executive Director, and the administrative staff of FSS
during our work. Particular appreciation shall go to FSS research staff for
constructive input provided to further enhance the quality of this manuscript. We
thank all those who provided us with information, help in data collection and
facilitate field visits.
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