Burning with Enthusiasm: Fuelwood Scarcity in Tanzania in Terms of Severity, Impacts and Remedies

Summary

Fred Håkon Johnsen, ‘Burning with Enthusiasm: Fuelwood Scarcity in Tanzania in Terms of Severity, Impacts and Remedies’, Forum for Development Studies, 1999: 1, pp. 107–131.

Fuelwood constitutes 92 per cent of the total energy supply in Tanzania. In this article fuelwood and alternatives to fuelwood for household use are discussed. Estimates vary considerably when it comes to national figures for demand and supply of fuelwood in Tanzania. Fuelwood seems to be scarce in the densely populated areas and also seems to represent a large and increasing burden to the household budgets in the towns. Fuelwood gathering is probably a less important cause of deforestation than land clearing for crop production. In spite of much enthusiasm about various ‘solutions’ to the fuel-wood problem, none of these ‘solutions’ have had much impact on the deforestation or the availability of household energy in Tanzania. Many traditional tree planting projects have failed. It is suggested that emphasis on other propagation methods than seedlings, on agroforestry and on multi-purpose trees would be a better approach. Improved stoves seem to hold some promise in the towns where fuel is normally paid for. In the rural areas, where fuelwood is still considered as a free good, there is not enough incentive for fuel saving equipment and there seems not to be any realistic alternative to fuelwood. In urban areas, kerosene and hydropower have some, but limited potential as substitutes for fuelwood. In general, energy related projects should not be launched unless local people perceive energy shortage as a serious problem.