Bamboo-based charcoal and firewood for cooking: a step towards curbing deforestation in Uganda

In East Africa, about 95% of the population uses firewood and charcoal as the main sources of energy for cooking, both in households and in institutions such as schools, hotels, and restaurants. This dependence has led to a significant decline in forest cover, which fell from 24% in the 1990s to 7% in 2020. With one of the highest population growth rates in the world, deforestation is expected to accelerate further, causing major environmental consequences.

The prices of firewood and charcoal are also rising, making low-income populations more vulnerable in terms of energy security. Moreover, the use of dark, smoky firewood further degrades air quality in kitchens, leading to health problems for workers.

To help restore forests and conserve its natural heritage, UCU, through its Sustainable Development Center, is promoting the use of green charcoal from bamboo plantations to replace firewood and charcoal as fuel.

A pilot phase that burnt bamboo charcoal in the same cooking stove as clay-based briquettes has shown successful results. The briquettes act as a “capacitor” by absorbing some of the energy released by the green charcoal, while slowly releasing their own energy from the charcoal powder also made from bamboo and incorporated into the briquette.

Two main results emerge: slow burning is feasible, matching Ugandan’s cooking habits, and cooking energy costs are reduced compared to using only unsustainable black charcoal

At the end of this initial preparatory phase, several important observations and lessons have been drawn, highlighting the potential of YAZINI bamboo as a sustainable alternative to traditional firewood and charcoal. Notably:

• Promising usability and acceptability: Various test groups reported high satisfaction with YAZINI bamboo as a cooking fuel, with energy performance comparable to that of firewood, indicating favorable conditions for adoption.
• Cooking habits: Despite some reluctance to switch from traditional dark firewood to YAZINI charcoal, initial tests suggested that focusing on YAZINI firewood offers the highest likelihood of successful adoption, building on existing cooking practices.
• Micropropagation and species selection: The most efficient bamboo species (B. vulgaris and D. asper) were identified, and a micropropagation laboratory was established on the UCU campus to develop a locally adapted production protocol.