It is estimated that over 95 percent of Ugandans depend on charcoal and wood fuel for cooking. This heavy dependence on natural forests has in recent years been a cause for concern among many people about the attendant consequences of deforestation and forest degradation on rainfall patterns, food security, energy production and several other ways of life for majority of Ugandans.

But it is the sharp increase in the price of a bag of charcoal in and around Kampala to over Ushs 80,000, that has raised the energy problem to an emergency level, at least if you ask environmental experts.

Moses Watasa, the spokesperson of the National Forestry Authority (NFA) says, "The current charcoal shortage has been coming for some time.

People have been cutting trees with little or no replanting. In most places like Nakasongola, people have cut nearly all the trees on private land. This is why pressure on protected government forests has increased so much that our staff are now being attacked by people who want to exploit forest resources."

Uganda's rapid population growth coupled with rapid urbanisation have increased the demand for energy, especially cooking fuel.

As a result, the country has lost a significant amount of its forest cover, which threatens rainfall patterns and which will in turn imperil food production, reduced electricity output and loss of biodiversity which will hurt Uganda's tourism earnings.

Watasa attributes the quest for charcoal and wood fuel as a major cause of widespread deforestation seen in hilly areas of Bugisu that has precipitated landslides which have killed hundreds and displaced thousands of people in recent years.

According to NFA, over 73,000 hectares of private forest is cleared every year and over 7000 hectares of protected forest reserves is destroyed to obtain timber and charcoal.
According to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Uganda has lost 2.3m hectares (about 76 percent) of its forest cover since the start of the 20th century.

The environment watchdog has attributed charcoal and timber production and as well as increased demand for agricultural land, as the main drivers of the rapid deforestation.
In the last 10 years alone, the price of a bag of charcoal has quadrupled. Greater demand has fed through to higher prices which provided an even bigger incentive for deforestation.

"If this trend [in prices of charcoal] continues, we are likely to see a bag reach Ushs 120,000 in December 2011. But how many people will be able to afford it?
With Uganda's population expected to double in twenty years, it is evident that the demand for cooking energy is set to push Uganda's forests and hence the livelihoods of majority of Ugandans to the edge.

Unfortunately growth in energy demand has not been matched by corresponding growth in supply of alternative sources of fuel especially hydro electricity, which is the cheapest and most convenient alternative source of energy for cooking.

Is hydro power an option?

Hydro electricity provides the idea alternative to charcoal and fuel wood. Indeed President Yoweri Museveni has repeatedly warned of massive deforestation arising from the absence of affordable hydro electricity that can be used by people as an alternative for charcoal and firewood.

However, the history of the development of hydro power dams in Uganda is replete with scandals and mistakes which renders hydro, an unlikely alternative in the face of rising energy demand.
Currently, because of its short supply, hydro electricity is neither affordable nor reliable as a source of energy.

Although the National Development Plan estimates electricity demand for Uganda to reach 35,000 MW by 2015, the absence of cheap charcoal is likely push demand for electricity even higher.
Without a viable alternative source of energy at hand, it is clear that charcoal and wood fuel will remain the dominant sources of energy for the foreseeable future.

According to NFA's Watasa, although charcoal production is not illegal, there is no clear policy on charcoal production in Uganda. Indeed, most people in this country consider it a traditional and dirty solution that is often criminalised, unsustainable and poorly paid.

But studies carried out in Kenya and Malawi and other countries (available at www.pubs.iied.org), suggest that charcoal and fuel wood production can be encouraged and developed in a sustainable manner to meet the rising energy demand.

Such studies have advocated for proactive deliberate policies that promote plantation of trees for charcoal production and decriminalise the practice. These studies argue that clear policies that streamline and legalise charcoal production could help improve energy security, cut carbon emissions, protect forests and reduce poverty.

NFA's Watasa says that Uganda is faced with a dire energy situation, which will likely persist for the next ten years until massive tree planting campaigns that are needed today bear fruit.

"We must encourage planting fast-growing trees like eucalyptus now so that we can be in position to get timber and charcoal in ten years to come. The situation is so serious that if we do not plant now, we shall experience even worse problems like famine, poverty all arising from high cost of energy that will lead to the few remaining forests to be cut," warns Watasa. blog comments powered by Disqus

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