Charcoal production in africa

This complex process known. Africa has an official charcoal production of 306 million tons in 2012 worth approximately USD 61245 billion annually at the point of sale.

The charcoal market in Africa is an informal economy.

Charcoal production in africa. The sustainable production and use of charcoal through proper management and planning of supply sources together with rational trade and marketing infrastructures and efficient use can also have a significant positive impact by helping to conserve resources reducing migration from rural or forested areas and improving peoples incomes. Charcoal production and use in Africa. Girard Philippe Girard is head of the Biomass Energy Environment Unit Forestry Department International Cooperation Centre of Agricultural Research for Development CIRAD-Forêt Montpellier France.

U rbanization and economic devel-opment are bringing about changes in consumption patterns and in-. How to make money from the charcoal business in Africa 1. Charcoal production Charcoal is usually produced by burning wood in the absence of air.

This complex process known. Charcoal sales This segment of the charcoal business comprises traders who buy the charcoal produced by local people. A booming business is literally fueling the economies of many nations in Africa.

This back-to-basics approach to energy production has grown from a simple cooking method to a source of power and economic empowerment. In the last 20 years charcoal production has soared in African nations by some estimates doubling. Making charcoal production in Sub Sahara Africa sustainable December 10 2010 Page 9 of 59 Executive summery Between the countries in Africa there are many similarities in the way the charcoal sector is structured.

This report analyses how charcoal production in Africa can be made sustainable by assessing bottlenecks and possible solutions. Efficiency of charcoal production in Sub-Saharan Africa. Solutions beyond the kiln With charcoal set to remain an important energy source throughout Sub-Saharan Africa SSA in the foreseeable future this paper focuses on improving the efficiency of carbonisation as one contribution to more sustainable charcoal value chains.

Charcoal is one of the most commercialized resources in sub-Saharan Africa. FAO FAOSTAT 2014 estimates official charcoal production for Africa to be 306 million tons in 2012 worth between US92 billion and US245 billion annually UNEP 2014. Africa has an official charcoal production of 306 million tons in 2012 worth approximately USD 61245 billion annually at the point of sale.

In Africa 90 of wood consumed is estimated used for woodfuel and charcoal East Africa 94 North Africa 96 Central Africa 87 South Africa 49 West Africa 92. In South Africa charcoal is widely produced using the direct method in small metal or masonry kilns. The indirect method uses an external source of heat to cook the organic matter contained in a closed but vented airless chamber retort.

This is a more advanced process requiring substantial know-how and high capital investment. The remaining 63 of global wood charcoal production is based in Africa particularly in countries such as Nigeria Ethiopia the Democratic Republic of Congo Mozambique Tanzania Ghana and Egypt. Seven of the top ten charcoal-producing countries are African.

Between 2004 and 2009 global wood charcoal production increased by 9. This article describes the trend towards increased use of charcoal in Africa identifies the resource issues and highlights some of the requirements for the sustainable development of this sector. The more efficient and rational technical solutions to enable carbonization processes to conform to environmental and energy norms and to improve carbonization yields because of increased wood pieces.

The charcoal market in Africa is an informal economy. This enables millions of people to earn a living producing selling and trading charcoal due to low barriers to. Indeed in Ghanait has been estimated that the forest cover is being lost at a fast rate of 70000 hecters annually.

The number one cuase is charcoal burning. I therefore have no doubt that this project would would help a long way to reduce the artificial desertification of africa and most part of our worldegthose living in and around the amazon forest and consuming most part of it for fuel at an alarming rate like the situation in Ghana and Africa. Charcoal is an essential source of domestic fuel in many sub-Saharan African countries.

Overall the region produces 65 of the worlds charcoal. One of these is a overview of charcoal production and use in selected countries in SADC region. Fuelwood and charcoal accounted for about 91 of Africas roundwood production in 2000.

In southern Africa region more than 90 per cent of rural households depend on woodfuel including fuelwood and charcoal for their energy requirements. In contrast in Tanzania and in many of the other top charcoal-producing countries in Africa charcoal value chains are largely informal with production proceeding in the absence of sustainable harvesting plans Sander et al 2013. Schure et al 2013.

Between 2010 and 2016 the charcoal production in Africa grew by 126 and in West Africa by 143 Food and Agriculture Organization 2014 and the demand is expected to continue its increase for the next two decades International Energy Agency 2014. Annual production in Kenya is estimated to be around 16 million t and households are consuming between 350 and 600 kg annually. It is estimated that about two million people are economically dependent on charcoal production transport and trade5.

Studies have shown that its.