Cori Ham

EXPLORING THE OPTIONS FOR FUELWOOD POLICIES TO SUPPORT POVERTY ALLEVIATION POLICIES: EVOLVING DIMENSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA

ABSTRACT Access to secure and affordable energy supplies is widely acknowledged as a critical foundation for sustainable development; inadequate access exacerbates household poverty. In the developing world poor households are frequently reliant upon fuel wood for all or most of their energy needs. However, national poverty alleviation policies commonly do not consider fuelwood within their strategies, and similarly, energy policies rarely consider the poverty alleviation potential of a comprehensive fuelwood strategy. Consequently, synergies between poverty alleviation and energy policies—with fuelwood (and its derivates) as the bridge—are needed. This paper discusses this potential using South Africa as a case example. The current policy environment that either favours or hinders a linkage between the poverty and energy sectors and policy options and strategies available to develop such links, are discussed.

Community forestry and woodlot development in South Africa: The past, present and future

The development of community forestry in South Africa, with emphasis on woodlots, is reviewed and discussed. Until the beginning of the 1990s rural people showed little or no interest in woodlots, despite efforts of government over many decades. The main reasons for failure are discussed: Insufficient local participation in projects; although it was assumed there was a major need for fuelwood amongst rural people, they did not perceive it as one of their important needs; the complex social, political and economical issues of rural people were not considered. Therefore, the objectives of woodlot development must be reassessed, i.e. not merely providing poles and fuelwood to rescue indigenous vegetation, but become an integral part of rural development programmes and contribute to the RDP. Furthermore, small-grower schemes can be economically beneficial for the growers and create work opportunities for others. A brief review of the rural energy use and electrification is given. Fuelwood deficits are especi...

Community forestry resources : a case study of selected woodlots in the Eastern Cape Province

Synopsis Community surveys were conducted through the use of participatory community meetings and a questionnaire in the Butterworth area of the Eastern Cape. The objectives of these surveys were to determine the needs and perceptions of communities regarding woodlots and woodutilisation. From the surveys it is clear that woodlots do play an important role in the livelihoods of communities in the Butterworth area, butthat the role varies accordingto geographiclocation ofthe woodlot andurbanisation levels ofthe community. Sociologicall anthropological socio-economic differences must be considered in community forestry extension work and future strategic and policy considerations.

Biomass from Wood in the Tropics

Bioenergy production from wood is one of the oldest forms of energy and it was for a long time considered a primitive energy source in many industrialised countries. However, it is currently experiencing an increase in attention worldwide. Considering its importance and history, it is astonishing that the widespread cognizance of wood as an important energy source in modern times is a recent phenomenon. It has been mainly driven by the pressure of diminishing fossil fuel resources in industrialised countries, as well as the wish to become more independent from nuclear power and its risks in some developed countries. In addition, amongst other renewable energy sources, bioenergy was identified as an alternative to fossil fuels, which could also help to prevent furthering an anthropogenic climate change by attempting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, two different development routes are recognizable, which appear to go in opposite directions and result in competition for land resources in tropical countries. One route is driven by developing countries and the other by developed countries. Globally, wood is the most important source of renewable energy and is used to produce more energy than all other renewable energy sources combined (FAO 2012). According to, the global annual woodfuel consumption, which comprises fuelwood, charcoal and other wood based energy sources, sums up to 1.87 billion m3. Of this amount, 13 % are consumed in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas and Caribbean region, 30 % in Africa and 30 % in Asia and the Pacific region. In total, almost three quarters of the global woodfuel consumption occur in tropical countries.

Community forestry - Project implementation through communities as a whole or through interest groups?

SYNOPSIS The term community forestry, as in the case of “community development”, can easily be misinterpreted as forestry and a development approach that must be implemented and managed by a community as a whole. The diverse groupings within a community, as the debate on what a “community” entails indicates, would complicate the implementation of this assumption. It is therefore necessary to identify, with the consent of the participating community, (a) specific interest group(s) that can plan, implement and manage a community forestry programme and project in a sustainable way. In this regard the complex nature of the dynamics of rural community structures must be understood and development intervention should be based on a multi-disciplinary and holistic approach.

Survey of Indigenous Tree Uses and Preferences in the Eastern Cape Province

SYNOPSIS A survey was undertaken in four areas in the Eastern Cape Province to establish indigenous tree use patterns and preferences. Through informal interviews a list was compiled of the 25 most popular indigenous trees being used for their fruit and timber by the local people.

The influence of tourism on the woodcarving trade around Cape Town and implications for forest resources in southern Africa

Woodcarving is an important informal sector industry that is heavily dependent on tourism and yet sustains the livelihoods of many migrant communities in South Africa. In the Cape Town area, the trade appears to be dominated by sellers from neighbouring countries, including Zimbabwe, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The most traded wood species are Dalbergia melanoxylon (African ebony), Brachylaena huillensis (silver oak or muhuhu) and Afzelia quanzensis (pod mahogany). This study found that the average gross income from the trade was R6450 and R2692 per month in the tourism peak and off seasons, respectively. However, while the woodcarving industry provides an important source of informal employment, it has contributed to the scarcity of highly prized hardwood species, especially in impoverished, underdeveloped areas.

Certification: Situation analysis of private timber growers in South Africa.

SYNOPSIS Forest certification has become an important aspect to consider in forestry. The South African forestry industry has adopted to a system of forest certification fairly easily. The private timber growers are also expected to implement certification, but can they adapt to it as easily as the timber companies have? A questionnaire was compiled and sent to representatives of seven organisations representing private timber growers. The goal was to identify opportunities and constraints in the certification of private timber growers. The results from the survey indicate that the private timber growers are very aware of certification and that all of the contacted organisations are at some stage of implementing the certification process. High costs and excessive administration were identified as the main constraints to certification, while group certification was identified as a way of mitigating these constraints.

The socioeconomic impact of the phasing out of plantations in the Western and Southern Cape regions of South Africa

This study investigates the possible socioeconomic impact of the phasing out of nearly 22 500 ha of plantations within the Southern and Western Cape regions of South Africa as a result of a decision made by government in 2000. Data was collected in 2007 from three plantations (one near Grabouw in the Western Cape, and two near George in the Southern Cape) managed by Mountain to Ocean Forestry (Pty) Ltd (currently Cape Pine Investment Holdings Ltd), among three different plantation stakeholder groups. These groups are (1) forest-dependent communities, (2) stakeholders among the forestry value chain and (3) indirect stakeholders. This study indicates that there are significant differences between the potential impacts of the phasing-out process within the Southern and Western Cape regions. Communities and secondary processing companies in the Southern Cape are much more dependent on forestry than those in the Western Cape region. The study highlights three aspects related to the phasing-out process that need urgent attention. These are (1) to increase public awareness and community participation among local beneficiaries and companies to be impacted on by the phasing-out process, (2) provide appropriate training and capacity-building and thus increased skills level of workers who face unemployment and (3) the identification of alternative employment opportunities for the unemployed affected by the phasing-out process.

Socio-Economic Aspects of Rural Bioenergy Production

This chapter covers the socio-economic costs and benefits of bioenergy production in developing countries. The chapter will consider the role local communities can play in the provision of biomass for energy and benefits they can gain in the process. It will analyse the externalities related to bioenergy production that could impact on the socio-economic well-being of local communities. It will consider aspects such as the conversion of land to bioenergy plantations and a change from agricultural food production to biomass production. Examples from across the globe will be used to highlight this socio-economic impact.