Charcoal Production

Charcoal production these days takes place in areas far away from the major consumption centres and are transported over distances to consumers who are normally urban dwellers (Kammen and Lew 2005).   This can be attributed to the fact that, trees which are the raw material base for charcoal production are no longer easily available in the urban centers.   Clearing of precious vegetation for human settlements and other anthropogenic activities have been the driving forces of tree depletion in the urban centers which has turned charcoal making in these areas nearly impossible.   Due to this urban dwellers depend on locally based charcoal producers for their perpetual demand for charcoal for domestic usage.   The local communities resort to firewood as their main energy supply for cooking due to its availability in their immediate environment and even in some cases the purchase of charcoal cooking stoves is a problem.Kammen and Lew (2005) stated that in many countries, the rural people and even charcoal producers are too poor to use charcoal and the demand for charcoal is found in the urban areas.   These and other factors are the reasons why sometimes it is very difficult to see the charcoal producers themselves using charcoal in their homes.   Aside the fact that firewood is not easily available in urban centres, some factors such as a high calorific value per weight of charcoal than firewood, small spaces required for charcoal storage, production of smokeless flames and ease of transportation influence the choice of urban dwellers using charcoal instead of firewood.   The high demand in charcoal and the diminishing resource base place heavy strain on the trees in the charcoal producing communities.   Farmers involved in charcoal production fell trees on their farmlands whiles fulltime charcoal producers attack trees in the wild, farms, woodlands and even in some cases forests.   Unsustainable charcoal production in these local communities is a major contributor of...