Determents of sustainable charcoal production in AWI zone; the case of Fagita Lekoma district, Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia, the trend of production and consumption of charcoal is found to be increasing in the regions' major towns and cities, particularly in Figita Lekoma district. However, little attention is given to sustainable charcoal production in the study area. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess determents to sustainable charcoal production in the Fagita Lekoma district. The study used a cross-sectional survey design for data collection and analysis as well as a purposive sampling technique to select samples from the household. The required data for the study was collected from both primary and secondary sources by employing data collection instruments such as household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The collected data was analyzed by inferential statistics (binary logistic regression) to analyze the determinants of charcoal production and to determine whether there are any statistically significant differences between charcoal produced and non-produced in the study area. According to the survey results, the most significant challenges for charcoal production were a lack of land, improved production technology, and perception. The results of the logistic regression model reveal that age of the household head, education, and family size were found to significantly influence charcoal production at less than a 10% probability level, while perception, methods, and land holding size were significant at less than a 5% probability level. Responsible institutions and planners should focus on the effects of earth mound kilns charcoal production on environments'. Charcoal production methods should be improved, and the government should have to give attention to sustainable charcoal production to make economically viable and environmentally friendly to reduce emissions.