Charcoal as a diversification strategy: The flexible role of charcoal production in the livelihoods of smallholders in central Mozambique

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of charcoal producers supplying a small town in central Mozambique, as a contrast to the predominant focus of previous work on charcoal supply to major urban areas. It gives an in-depth account of the situations in which people produce charcoal, linking this to the role it plays in their livelihoods. Charcoal is made for a diverse set of reasons ranging from women wishing for financial autonomy from their husbands, through to gaining supplementary income from field opening. Those making charcoal have a wide range of livelihood strategies and produce in a wide range of situations. The findings counter the idea that charcoal production is a livelihood of last resort. Furthermore, the current de-facto licencing regime facilitates this diversity, but stands in contrast to the law. Enforcing the full requirements of the law would possibly reduce the flexible opportunities for income that charcoal provides for many households within the study area.