Economic value, health and environmental impacts of charcoal production and trade in eastern Uganda.

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing the socio-economic, health and environmental effects of charcoal production, trade to the community of Kamuli district in Eastern Uganda. The Study will contribute to shaping the structure of charcoal production and the trade chain in this area to help the community to adopt sustainable charcoal production techniques. The study covers three levels in the value chain of charcoal trade in the country by looking at the effects righting from the production point, to the sells point and finally the consumption point which points seem to be the major contributors socio-economic and environmental effects of charcoal consumption and trade in the country. Charcoal production is mainly carried out by, using carbonizing the logs in the earth kilns while consumption is done using metallic charcoal stoves. Both the methods of charcoal production and consumption are inefficient and therefore there is unsustainable production and consumption of charcoal. At the production point, villages in Minakulu of Nwoya district was studied sampling five sites which were spaced by two kilometres from each other and having then respondents from each site. From Kamuli district, Namasagali was sampled by selecting five sites which were more than three kilometres apart while selecting ten respondents from each site. On the part of consumption and selling of charcoal, data was collected from areas of Kampala and Wakiso with only 81 respondents being interviewed with 46 and 35 sellers and consumers respectively. The study was done by collecting both qualitative to give the description of the problem and quantitative data to measure the spread of the problem. The data was analyzed by use of excel, Minitab and STATA packages. The data was entered into excel where was coded from and then the uncoded data was use to do the descriptive analysis of the data. The coded data was copied to Minitab and STATA where all the advanced analysis was carried out from. From the findings of the study, it was found out that charcoal trade Contributes to a high percentage on the economic development of the country providing employment to considerable number of rural and urban populations. It was found out that on average, a charcoal producer who is well organized earns a monthly income of 253.8USD with 20.4US$ and 2166.7 US$ as the minimum and maximum earnings from the charcoal business respectively. At least a tax of 0.2933USD is paid per bag of charcoal that big scale producers take to the market averagely one can employ 6 people to producer charcoal for them with 1 and 80 people as the minimum and maximum number of employees that one big producer can have. Trading in charcoal also has a number of negative effects to peoples' health like causing diseases such as cancer, flu, cough, body pain, family problems and the health of the environment like causing desertification, habitat loss and global warming in which the trade activities are carried out from. The study will help to provide information to policy makers and the players in the charcoal value chain to come up and implement sustainable ways of carrying out activities involved in the charcoal value chain in order to reduce on the negative health and environmental effects associated with charcoal trade. Keywords: Environmental and Health impacts, Charcoal production and trade, Livelihoods; Eastern Uganda