The Fuelwood Market Chain of Kinshasa: Socio-economic and sustainability outcomes of the number one household energy in the Democratic Republic of Congo

THINKING beyond the canopyTHINKING beyond the canopy

The Fuelwood Market Chain of Kinshasa: Socio-economic and sustainability outcomes of the number one household energy in the Democratic Republic of

Congo

IUFRO August 2010-Urban Forestry Combating Poverty: Building a collaborative stakeholder dialogue– Jolien Schure, Verina Ingram

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Outline presentation

• Why do we want to know more about fuelwood around

Kinshasa?

• Methods

• Who are the actors?

• Socio-economic and environmental implications

• Institutional framework and management

• Conclusion

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Problem statement: fuelwood for the city of Kinshasa

• DRC covers 61% (98 million

hectares) of the Congo Basin forest

Kinshasa:

• 10 million people population,

urbanization

• Not sufficient access to alternative

energy (91.5% is fuelwood)

• - Deforestation forest-savana mosaic

(estimated 60,000 ha/year (Marien,

2009)), Increasing prices

• + Labor, (renewable) energy for

cooking

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Conceptual framework and methods

• Focus on livelihood systems and entire chain in order to understand

individual and household choices and institutional arrangements.

• Mapping, interviews, surveys

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The actors

Specialists:

Wood

cutting

Construction

of oven

‘Harvesting

of charcoal’

‘Put in bags’

‘Waving the

‘hat’.

Wholesaler

Retailer

Vendor

Porters

Packers

Collectors

Thieves

Truck

(98%)

Head (8%)

Barge

(4%)

Household

s

Small

industries:

bakeries,

restaurants

, grilled

meat

Private Sector NGOs, research

institutes

Government

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What are social and economic outcomes? - Consumers

• Consumers in the city use mainly charcoal for cooking

(74%), some electricity and firewood.

• Reasons: clean, little smoke, taste of food, hygiene rules

of city.

• Almost no improved stoves used (3%).

• Prices have raised over past 5 years.

• Costs for household: 21US$/ month! (+-15.6).

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Socio-economic outcomes- producers

• Producers: educated, all ethnicities, also women (4%).

• Permanent vs temporary producers (61% permanent in Kinshasa,

42% of producers Kin. depend on fuelwood revenues.

• Secondary activities: Agriculture (76% ), Fishing (15% ), Timber

exploitation (5% )

• Training pays off with production increases (21.4 percent received

training)

• Traditional charcoal oven

• Factors influencing production: (informal) taxes, distances and

transport costs, demand, caterpillar harvest season, events and

festivities (year’s end, return to school).

• Annual profit/producer= (Bags sold*price)-(Costs

transport+labour+materials+tax+access).

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Average yearly volume and profit charcoal producers Kinshasa

0

50

100

150

200

Production charbon de bois (sacs)

167

Producteurs zones de Kinshasa

Income (US$)

Profit (US$)

$0.00 $100.00$200.00 $300.00 $400.00 $500.00 $600.00$700.00

$800.00$900.00

$863.49

$104.50

Producteurs zones de Kinshasa

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And the natural resource base?

• 1 plantation acacia auriculiformis that provides fuelwood

(Mampu): estimated 0.85% of demand Kinshasa

(Ducenne, 2009)

• Perception: traders, producers, consumers see

diminishing source and increasing distances

• Volumes: 400,000 tonnes of charcoal/ year.

• Wood species: Kisangani : Limbalu, Gilbert, Botuna, Kélé, Alombi, Dabema,

Kele, Lipela, Agbama, Mbala; Kinshasa: Kiseka, Acacia, Bois noir, Makayabu, Kititi,

Muboti, Musangambala, Kiyeti, Mubamba, Mukwati

• Reforestation limited (only 4786.74 ha for 1986 – 2006,

despite plan of 500/1000 ha/ year).

• 80.5% producers never planted tree, 19.5% did.

• Location

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Location of fuelwood harvesting for Kinshasa

Champs39%

Newly

cultivated forest

37%

Uncultiv

ated forest24%

Actual places of fuelwoodharvesting (producers region of Kinshasa)

Champs

55%

Uncultivated

forest45%

Preferred places for fuelwoodharvesting

(producers region of Kinshasa)

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Intstitutional analyses

• Legal framework about land tenure and forest provides following legal options for

sustainable production of fuelwood:

1. Public plantations

2. Private plantations (Mampu, Ibi )

3. Reforestation at agricultural plots

4. Exploitation with fuelwood/ charcoal permit in surrounding forest

5. Community forestry (No regulation yet)

However in practice:

• Permit system hardly enforced and not guaranteeing sustainable outcome.

• Conflicting interests – e.g. Energy and Environment for the city of Kinshasa

• Land tenure ssue remains

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Local rules of access

Type of access (%/city) Costs of access(US$/per parcel/ tree)

Kinshasa Kisangani Kinshasa Kisangani

Type of access

Customaryright

59.42% 24.33%$00.00 $00.00

Renting 33.89% 59.67% $40.91 $38.90

Concession 3.81% 2.67% $18.56 $26.19

Buying trees

2.86% 13.33%$17.12 $9.86

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Preliminary conclusions1. Fuelwood provides essential access

to energy and is important for

livelihoods producers.

2. Sector is not sustainable at present

and not part of peri-urban planning.

3. No incentives to producers to

produce in more sustainable way.

Opportunities for stakeholder

dialogue:

Local level: involve local authorities,

producers and officials.

National level: overcome conflicting

interests/incoherence between ministries,

role of private sector.

International level: regional strategies

(COMIFAC), lessons learned from other

countries.

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Thank you for your attention

Contact: Jolien Schure: [email protected]