An assessment of socio-economic background of charcoal production, trade and household use in Blantyre low income settlements

Abstract

The dependence on charcoal as the major source of energy for cooking remains a hard-hitting challenge in our cities. Most of the households in Blantyre low income settlements rely on charcoal and this is being witnessed in the increases in the number of traders on charcoal, charcoal shops, as well as charcoal users in the city. This is a clear evidence that efforts to discourage charcoal business are ineffective and as a result there is much pressure on the forestry resources. The fast disappearance of trees has a number of environmental effects, one of which is the climate change, in the long run this is also affecting crop yields and deepening poverty. This report presents the findings of a study which was undertaken to examine the social- economic background of charcoal business in Blantyre urban fringe settlements. The study covered two townships, namely Ndirande and Chirimba. The selection of these townships was informed by the prevalence of hot charcoal business in those areas. In addition, these townships are among the low income settlements where most of the urban dwellers are found due to poverty and their main source of energy is charcoal; and increasing electricity tariffs seriously affect livelihoods of low-income and middle-income households majority of them being in the study areas. The researcher used both structured and unstructured questionnaires to collect data from the charcoal producers, transporters, traders and the consumers. In addition to these, Focus Group Discussions, Key Informant Interviews and Observations were employed to obtain data from the target population. Investigating the factors that influence the charcoal use, 110 charcoal users were purposively selected. Using Multiple Regressions Analysis, 5 household socio-economic factors were identified that promote the use of charcoal in the households. These are (in order of contribution) literacy, size, gender, age, and income. The study revealed that, there is relationship between the charcoal use and the five predictor variables although it is not very significant. This weak relationship was attributed to perception among the respondents that electricity is more expensive than charcoal. Although some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders have been advocating for fuel-efficient charcoal stoves with an aim of reducing charcoal consumption rates, the adoption rate among the respondents is very low.