Zambia trains charcoal producers to improved methods to cut CO2 emissions

30 / 12 / 2019

By Marwa Nassar - -

Zambia took a practical step to curb charcoal devastating impact on the environment through educating charcoal producers and training them on improved methods about the devastating impact of charcoal production on the environment.

Under the lead of Mercy Mupeta Kandula, the provincial Forestry Officer for Choma, together with the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in Zambia and the Forest and Farm Facility, charcoal producers have been educated on the illegality of charcoal burning and trained in improved methods.

Studies have identified charcoal production as one of the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Zambia. The traditional methods of making charcoal lead to high carbon emissions and are a waste of wood resources.

“We involved the charcoal producers in woodlot establishment and regeneration programs, and also set up a participatory guarantee system to certify sustainable charcoal production. The link with REDD+ is clear; we help reduce one of the drivers of deforestation by improving sustainable production methods, reducing the need to cut trees and reducing carbon emissions,” says Mercy.

The UN-REDD Program is the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing countries.

The Program was launched in 2008 and builds on the convening role and technical expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The Program supports nationally led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation. Additionally, the program supports national REDD+ readiness efforts in 65 partner countries, spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

“We introduced an improved kiln that has a chimney made of drums,” says trainer Kelvin Phiri. “The traditional way to produce charcoal is to cut big hardwood logs, put sand on them and set them on fire. Then, they burn without oxygen for a couple of days and create charcoal. In the improved system, we just prune trees, take only small branches, put them into the improved kiln, seal it with sand and let it burn. The big difference is with the old method, the carbon is retained in the charcoal, whereas with the chimney kiln, the carbon stays in the drums so they are less harmful for the producer and the user. When cleaning out the drums, we pour the carbon back into the soil.”

“The Forest and Farm Facility’s support is unique for Zambia,” says George Okech, the Food and Agriculture Organization Representative in Zambia. “This sustainable way of generating charcoal helps curb emissions and is good for the environment. This approach deserves to be scaled up to other provinces as well.”