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

1. 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
THINKING beyond the canopy
THINKING beyond the canopy

2. 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
THINKING beyond the canopy

3. 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
THINKING beyond the canopy

4. 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
THINKING beyond the canopy

5. The actors
Government
Specialists:
Wood
cutting
Construction
of oven
‘Harvesting
of charcoal’
‘Put in bags’
‘Waving the
‘hat’.
Private Sector
Wholesaler
Retailer
Vendor
Porters
Packers
Collectors
Thieves
NGOs, research
institutes
Household
s
Truck
Small
(98%)
Head (8%) industries:
bakeries,
Barge
restaurants
(4%)
, grilled
meat
THINKING beyond the canopy

6. 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).
THINKING beyond the canopy

7. 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).
THINKING beyond the canopy

8. Average yearly volume and profit charcoal
producers Kinshasa
Profit (US$)
Income (US$)
$104.50
$863.49
$0.00 $100.00
$200.00 $300.00
$400.00 $500.00
$600.00
$700.00
$800.00
200
150
Producteurs zones de Kinshasa
167
100
50
0
Production charbon de bois (sacs)
Producteurs zones de Kinshasa
THINKING beyond the canopy
$900.00

9. 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
THINKING beyond the canopy

10. THINKING beyond the canopy

11. Location of fuelwood harvesting for
Kinshasa
Actual places of fuelwood
harvesting (producers region of Kinshasa)
Preferred places for fuelwood
harvesting
(producers region of Kinshasa)
Uncultiv
ated
forest
24%
Newly
cultivate
d forest
37%
Champs
39%
Uncultiv
ated
forest
45%
Champs
55%
THINKING beyond the canopy

12. 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
THINKING beyond the canopy

13. Local rules of access
Type of access (%/city)
Kinshasa
Type of
access
Customary
59.42%
right
Renting
33.89%
Costs of access
(US$/per parcel/ tree)
Kisangani Kinshasa Kisangani
$00.00
$00.00
24.33%
59.67%
$40.91
$38.90
Concession 3.81%
2.67%
$18.56
$26.19
Buying
trees
13.33%
$17.12
$9.86
2.86%
THINKING beyond the canopy

14. Preliminary conclusions
1. 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.
THINKING beyond the canopy

15. Thank you for your attention
Contact: Jolien Schure: J.schure@cgiar.org
THINKING beyond the canopy