Alternatives to fuelwood in African towns

Fuelwood and charcoal are widely used by African households instead of kerosene, electricity and other “conventional” fuels, because they are cheaper. In many countries, consumption of fuelwood and charcoal now exceeds natural replenishment rates; this has serious consequences for soil fertility, especially in the countryside surrounding towns. Yet many attempts to encourage reforestation have failed, mainly because timber grown commercially for fuelwood cannot complete with “free” wood from common lands. When free wood is eventually exhausted there will be no escape from a sizable increase in the price of woodfuel. Only increases in incomes, especially of the lower income groups, will protect people from the unavoidable increase in the cost of cooking.