Ideas Marketplace presentation from INBAR - International Network for Bamboo and Rattan. Presented at Agriculture, Landscapes and Livelihoods Day 5 in Doha Qatar, 3 December 2012. http://www.agricultureday.org

1. Bamboo household energy for Africa
Supporting sustainable livelihoods and food security
through renewable bamboo biomass
Dr. Coosje Hoogendoorn and Yannick Kuehl
Agriculture, Landscapes and Livelihoods Day 5, 3rd 15th Anniversary Year
December 2012, Doha

2. The Problem
Shortage of household energy:
• Health: over 1.6 million died
in 2001 from indoor air
pollution from biomass fuel
(25% of deaths in SSA)
• Deforestation – more wood
per capita is consumed in
SSA homes for energy than
any other region in the world
• Increasing pressure on land
for energy and food biomass
• Limited access to energy → (Ghana: deforestation as a result of traditional
threat to food security charcoal production)
www.inbar.int 15th Anniversary Year

3. The Solution
Bamboo charcoal production:
• Fast growing, indigenous to Africa and
highly renewable resource, which allows
regular biomass extraction
• Bamboo grows on degraded lands
• Bamboo can be integrated into
agricultural/agroforestry land use systems
• Bamboo charcoal burns with little residues
• High calorific value equivalent to many
wood charcoals (approx. 30,000 KJ/KG)
• Creates incomes for rural communities
• Supports food security
www.inbar.int 15th Anniversary Year

4. The Method
South-South technology transfer
from Asia to Africa:
• Transfer of Asian production
technologies to Africa
• Project in Ghana and Ethiopia
(2009-2013): awareness raising,
sustainable bamboo resource
management training, value chain
development, introduction of
modern charcoal making
techniques and pilot sites
Funded by:
www.inbar.int 15th Anniversary Year

5. The Results
Results until now include:
• More than 10,000 households adopted
bamboo as energy source → food security
and health
• 20% reduction in use of tree-wood charcoal
(in project areas in Ghana) → avoiding
deforestation
• Over 10,000 ha of wild bamboo converted
into managed stands → reducing pressure
on lands
→ Next: up- and out-scaling in Africa!
www.inbar.int 15th Anniversary Year