This presentation from the IUFRO 2014 World Congress' session on gender and forestry value chains focused on Women and charcoal value chains of Eastern and Southern Africa. The session shed light on the role of women in forest value chains in the face of forest loss and a range of uncertainties generated by ever‐increasing demands for food, timber, and ecosystem services in a globalized world.

1. Women and charcoal value chains of Eastern and Southern Africa
Phosiso Sola and Davison Gumbo
p.sola@cgiar.org
IUFRO 2014 World Congress, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
5-11 October 2014

2. Source: WHO, 2012
% Population using solid fuel in 2010
Biomass fuels meet over 80% of Sub Saharan Africa energy demand
Only about 30 % of the population have access to electricity

3. 0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
Central Africa
East Africa
North Africa
Southern Africa
West Africa
Wood fuel Consumption 1000m3
African Region
Most in the form of charcoal, for cooking and heating
Produced in rural areas consumed in urban areas

4. The study- a critical review
Literatures: With all the challenges the industry is lucrative to both men and women
QUE: How women participate, benefit and are affected throughout the charcoal value chains of eastern and southern African?
Wood production
Charcoal production
Transportation
Wholesaling
Retailing
Consumption
Adapted from Sepp, 2008

5. The study- a critical review
Review literature on charcoal production and trade in
Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
Article focus
Wood fuel
Production and policy
Trade
Consumption
Value chains
Trade/value chains and gender
Number of articles (89)
36
75
36
31
18
9
%
41
85
41
35
20
10

6. Charcoal Industry in eastern and southern African
Industry largely informal, unregulated
Deemed illegal, no recognition, practically neglected
Energy policies believe in energy ladder
BUT persistent poverty renders transition
a fallacy
YET industry remains very efficient in
meeting urban and local demand

7. Demand levels
Majority of urban households
All income categories but mostly the urban poor
Small-scale industries can account for up to 31% of urban demand
(case of Tanzania)
Urban Demand
Kenya 82% (2013)
Rwanda 72% (2010)
Mozambique 70-80% (2007)
Tanzania Dar es Salaam 78% (2007)

8. Demand levels
Kenya 2005 to 2013 production increased from 1.6 to 2.5 mil ton
Uganda Gov estimates demand increasing at rate of 6% /yr
Country
Annual figures
Data year
Production (Million ton)
Kenya
2.5
2013
Uganda
1
2011
Rwanda
0.2
2008
Consumption (Million ton)
Zambia
1.248
2010
Mozambique
14.8
2008
Malawi (consumption for the 4 major cities 90% country)
6.08
2007
Tanzania (Dar es Salaam 50% of country)
1.6
2007

9. Significance of the Industry
Sector competitive with some agriculture sectors like tea, coffee, and tobacco
Illegal trade leads to significant losses in revenue
Kenya
Mozambique
Malawi
Tanzania
Rwanda
Income Per yr USD mil
1,600
394
41
(Main cities)
350
(Dar es Salaam)
67
% GDP
2.2
3
2.3
2.7
Data Year
2013
2011
2007
2007
2007

10. The charcoal industry in ESA
Studies indicate that substantial volumes of charcoal crossing borders
43% charcoal production from border districts Zambia
Takes 1-6 actors to deliver the charcoal to final consumers

11. Charcoal industry Actors
Country
Wood production
Producer
Transporter
Wholesaler
Retailer
Total
Data year
Kenya
254,000
4900
635,000
893,900
2013
Mozambique
27,169
1,132
5,822
101,885
214,000
2012
Rwanda
300, 000
8,000
200-300
2000
310,300
2010
Malawi
10,550
122,490
133,040
2008
6400
46,500
12,800
33,500
92,800
2007
Informal and or illegal thus accurate statistics difficult to get
The bulk, of the product is produced and traded without licensing

12. Charcoal industry Actors
Country
Wood producers %
Producers
%
Transporters
%
Wholesalers
%
Retailers
%
Data year
Kenya
28.4
0.6
71
2013
Mozambique
12.7
0.5
2.7
47.6
2012
Rwanda
96.7
2.6
0.1
0.6
2010
Malawi
6.5
46.8
12.9
33.8
2008
Tanzania
43.2
0.1
56
2002
Zambia
47.5
0.9
51.3
2002
retailers/vendors > producers > wholesalers > transporters traders

13. Role of women?
Tend to dominate the wood production, charcoal production and retailing stages
But remain in the small scale businesses
Limited to no access and rights over key resources (land, trees, financial capital, and credit)
Country
Producers
%
Transporters
%
Wholesalers
%
Retailers
%
Data Year
Kenya
17
10-14
57
2005
Tanzania
24
0
20
16
2012
Uganda
4
6 (Agent 22)
19
69
2008
Mozambique
24
2
55
90
2004

14. Production
energyaccess.wikispaces.com
www.itswild.org
Both men and women produce charcoal
But roles somewhat predefined
Iiyama, Miyuki (ICRAF)

15. Production
Majority of women producers
sell charcoal from home or at roadsides

16. Transportation
Men the majority of transporters up to 90%

Women rarely reach 20%
Mostly cyclists, 90% of transporters for 10% volume into Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
www.animaltraction.com

17. Most women do not own vehicles have to hire
Business is done mostly at night – evade the law
baraza.wildlifedirect.org
Transportation
www.globalgiving.org
Risky: poor roads, poor state of the vehicles, long distances, illicit behaviour and illegality

18. Buy, store and sell in bulk offering prices 10 to 20% lower than the retail price
Dominated by women but still the few men dominate large scale
Limited access to capital –bulk purchase, storage
Wholesaling
Iiyama, Miyuki (ICRAF)

19. Retailing
Sell in bags, small cans or piles
Face stiff competition from sheer numbers
Thus sell other products besides charcoal
www.seattleglobalist.com
felixfeatures.photoshelter.com

20. Income and income distribution
Inequitable and skewed towards the middle players in transportation and trade/wholesaling
Tightly neat in dealer-transporter-wholesaler networks/curtails highly connected
% share final price
Wood production
Producer
Transporter
Wholesaler
Retailer
Data year
Kenya
6
66
28
2013
Rwanda
16.9
42.2
32.8
8.1
2010
Tanzania
33
50
17
2009
Malawi
20-33
20 -25
25-33
2007

21. Uganda
•Benefits concentrated in the middle where women form 6 % transporter or 22% of agents
•Less benefits at tail ends, women 69% retailers
Value chain actor
Average monthly profits (USD)
Producer
35.53
Agent
93.97
Transporter
646.58
Trader
579.21
Retailer
68.04
Source: Shively, et al., 2010

22. Recommendations
Enabling policy framework
-Formalise, Legalise, Operationalise
Evidence to inform development and policies
-In-depth research with standardized comparable methodology for gendered value chain analysis across countries
Technology research, development and dissemination
-Wood production, carbonisation, cooking
Improve access to resources by women
-Land and trees, Finance, Business premises

23. Main sources
1.Blodgett, C., 2011. Charcoal Value Chain and Improved Cook stove Sector Analyses SNV Rwanda positioning document
2.Delahunty-Pike A., 2012. Gender Equity, Charcoal and the Value Chain in Western Kenya Working Brief November 2012 PISCES, Practical Action Consulting
3.Gumbo, D. J., et. al., 2013. Dynamics of the charcoal and indigenous timber trade in Zambia: A scoping study in Eastern, Northern and Northwestern provinces. Occasional Paper 86. CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia
4.Kambewa, P., et. Al., 2007. Charcoal: the reality – A study of charcoal consumption, trade and production in Malawi. Small and Medium Forestry Enterprise Series No. 21. International Institute for Environment and Development, London, UK.
5.Kenya Forest Service (Kfs), 2013. Analysis of the Charcoal Value Chain in Kenya, Final Report, August 2013 Ministry Of Environment, Water And Natural Resources, Government of Kenya
6.Kwaschik R., (ed) 2008. Proceedings of the Conference on Charcoal and Communities in Africa 16 – 18 June, 2008 Maputo, Mozambique, Coordinator, Global Non-timber Forest Products (NTFP) Partnership, International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)
7. Malimbwi, R.E., and Zahabu, E.M., 2008. Research and development for sustainable management of semiarid miombo woodlands in East Africa Woodlands and the charcoal trade: the case of Dar es Salaam City Working Papers of the Finnish Forest Research Institute 98: 93– 114 http://www.metla.fi/julkaisut/workingpapers/2008/mwp098.htm
8.Ndegwa Geoffrey M. et al., 2010. Woodfuel Value Chains in Kenya and Rwanda; Economic analysis of the market oriented woodfuel sector. Master Thesis Cologne University of Applied Sciences Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics (ITT)
9.Shively, G., et al., 2010. Profits and margins along Uganda’s charcoal value chain International Forest Review Vol 12 (3) 2010
10.van Beukering, P., et al., undated. Optimization of the charcoal chain in Tanzania Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands


24. I thank you www.cifor.org www.blog.cifor.org
Other photos from Iiyama, Miyuki (ICRAF) and http://www.olliviergirard.com/Gallery_Zambia/index.html