Evans Kituyi

Biofuel availability and domestic use patterns in Kenya.

Abstract The annual domestic consumption levels and patterns of various common biofuels in Kenya were surveyed. The main fuelwood sources were farmland trees, indigenous forests, woodlands and timber off-cuts from plantations. In 1997, about 15.4 million tonnes of firewood (air-dried) were consumed and an equivalent of 17.1 million tonnes round wood wet weight (w/w) was converted to charcoal. In the same year, 1.4 million tonnes of a variety of crop residues were also consumed as domestic fuel. Biofuel availability was the major factor influencing the reported annual spatial species use and consumption patterns. Competing demand for the commonly-used tree species (mainly eucalyptus trees) for commercial and other purposes accounts, to a large extent, for the reported dwindling amounts. Communities in various regions have responded by gradually shifting to other available types including those in gazetted forests. Such a response strategy has implications on the long-term spatial and temporal biofuel use patterns.

Integrating life cycle approaches to African national development policies: considering the institutional dimension of industrial ecology

This paper considers developments in the area of industrial ecology applications and public policy, and the need to facilitate the proliferation of life cycle approaches in Africa through national development policies. It demonstrates the existing demand for systems approaches to sustainable production and consumption in Africa and identifies life cycle approaches as appropriate tools for application, focusing on those sectors, which support livelihoods and national economies. The paper identifies the framework conditions required for life cycle approaches to be effectively integrated into development policy and strategies, and highlights opportunities available for African governments to benefit from the process. The author shows that, in particular, in developing countries, there is a need to address the social, institutional and political preconditions and capacity building of/for life cycle thinking and management rather than the engineering or technical aspects of the life cycle approach.

Influence of diet patterns on fuelwood consumption in Kenyan boarding schools and implications for data and energy policies

Abstract A study was devised to inquire into the influence of diet patterns in Kenyan boarding schools on the fuelwood consumption rates in these institutions and the implications of the findings on national data and energy policies. It was found that the incorporation of actual weekly diet patterns into the overall fuelwood estimation procedures reduced the mean daily per capita consumption rate by about 1.5 times compared to the reported rate derived from “spot” measurements. Considering the large number of students in these institutions countrywide, this reduction is significant. It is, therefore, likely that reported data on household fuelwood consumption in developing countries could be overestimated. This has negative implications on the policy making and energy planning processes that are dependent on this information. There is need to formulate policies to guide biomass energy consumption data acquisition and management processes in the country. There is also the need to strengthen institutional frameworks and capacity building schemes for biofuel data acquisition and management, both nationally and regionally.