Dr. Mary Njenga is a Post-doctoral Fellow in Bioenergy at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also visiting lecturer with the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi. Mary has over 17 years’ experience in research and development in natural resource management in drylands, urban agriculture and environment, urban and rural biomass energy technology and innovations, and gender. http://www.worldagroforestry.org/cop12

1. Making Woodfuel Sustainable
*Njenga M., Iiyama M., Dobie P., Jamnadass R., Neufeldt H.
Email: m.njenga@cgiar.org*
CBD COP2 9 October 2014

2. Benefits of woodfuel in sub-Saharan Africa
• 2.5 billion people depend on biomass energy for cooking -
87% is wood based (IEA 2006).
• In SSA, 90% of the population rely on woodfuel (firewood
and charcoal) (IEA, 2006).
• Charcoal industry annually in Africa is worth >US$ 11
billion employing >7m people in 2030 will be US$12 billion
and 12 million people (World Bank, 2011, FAO, 2014,)
• In Kenya >Ksh32 billion (US$427m), compares -Ksh35
billion (US$467m) from tea industry

3. Impacts of woodfuel on health and enviroment
 Negative health effects
(i) household IAP- 4 million annual deaths globally from
respiratory infections affecting mostly women and
children. (Lim et al, 2012).
Traditional cooking practices in India & Kenya and sourcing firewood in Kenya
(ii) sourcing firewood -head, spinal injury to women and
children, time and calorific energy expenditure.

4.  Negative enviromental impacts from charcoal
production and firewood collection
8-10t of wood
=1 ton of
charcoal
3.03t of wood =1
ton of charcoal
Current practice: Cutting
down of young trees for
firewood
In the past: Deadwood
Wood wastage, air pollution, bush fire, nutrient depletion
affect natural regeneration

5. Charcoal production and implications on biodiversity in different
ecological zones
In Kenya 2.5m t/year or 6850 t/day
biomass stock = 40 t/ha biomass stock = 70 t/ha biomass stock = 260 t/ha
www.treeaid.or
g.uk
10% kiln: 68500t/40(t/ha)=1712ha 10% kiln – 68500t/70(t/ha)=978ha 10% kiln -68500t/260(t/ha)=263ha
30% kiln- 22605t/40(t/ha) =565ha 30% kiln – 22605t/70(t/ha)=323ha 30% kiln – 22605/260(t/ha)=87ha

6.  Degradation of tree species preferred for charcoal
close to markets and hotspots shift to areas far away
Photo by G Ndegwa
Acacia tortilis
Photo by G Ndegwa
Acacia nilotica
www.florabank.org.au
Acacia mearnsii
www.plantzafrica.com
Tarchonanthus camphoratus
www.jircas.affrc.go.jp
Prosopis juliflora
Negative effects:
• Habitat & browse for
wildlife and livestock
• Products: Medicine,
cosmetics, tannin, oil,

7. Policy framework and implications on sustainability of woodfuel
Fragmented approach
Value chain
Production &
processing
Transport
End-use
Wood harvesting by farmers
Carbonization by farmers /
charcoal burners
Collection by
middlemen
Wholesale
by dealers
Retail by city traders
Consumption by urban
households
Energy
Sector
Local
Authority,
Police
Forestry
Sector
Agricul.
Sector
Land, tree
tenure
Outputs from an inter-sectoral
coordination
Tree planting, farmer
managed natural
regeneration (FMNR)
Sustained
income
Adoption of
sustainable
technologies
Clear regulatory
frameworks,
little room for
corruption,
bribes
Efficient devices

8. Innovations for sustainable and cleaner woodfuel
(a) Woodfuel from trees on farm
• FMNR in Senegal adopted in over 50,000
hectares of farmland within a 4 year period
(http://fmnrhub.com.au)
• 80% of wood for energy and construction in
Rwanda is from planted forests
• 86% of Kenya’s charcoal is sourced from
private farms in drylands
• 70% of farmers source firewood from
Grevillea robusta woodlots in Embu, Kenya
Photo by: Oduor
• On-farm tree
planting for
commercial
charcoal

9. (b) Community based fuel briquette technology
Rural
Charcoal dust+soil
Urban
Sourcing biomass raw materials and pressing fuel briquettes
Drying, selling and use of fuel briquettes
Benefits: additional fuel, income, 9 and 15 times cheaper than lump charcoal
and kerosene respectively, burn for 4 hrs Vs 2.5 of lump charcoal, 3 times lower
CO and 8 times lower PM2.5 than lump charcoal, recycle waste, save trees

10. (c) Improving cooking technologies
Gasifier type of cook stove: Fuel burn under controlled oyxgen and release gases that
burn at high temperatures for cooking and by-product is charcoal
Benefits: Gasifier saves 40% and 30% of fuel and cooking time respectively used
in traditional 3 stone stove and yield 20% charcoal. CO, PM2.5 from gasifier is
45% and 90% lower than traditional 3 stone stove. Saves trees

11. Making Woodfuel Sustainable Requires
• Sustainable wood
production: Tree
planting and FMNR
• Efficient technologies-wood
to charcoal,
utilization
• Capacity development
and communication
• Enabling cross-sectoral
woodfuel policy