ABSTRACT
Woodfuels are the major source of energy for most Africans, since they often have insufficient resources for or little access to alternative fuels, in particular electricity and petroleum-based fuels. The vast majority of people in many developing countries, including those of sub-Saharan Africa, rely exclusively or partially on biomass fuels to meet their energy needs. Fuelwood problems are the result of fundamental failures in both the physical and human landscapes, in areas such as rural land, labour and capital markets and urban energy markets as well as the potential for regrowth of trees and increased woodfuel supply. The failure of governments to facilitate and provide conditions that allow efficient allocation of land between crops and forests is one of the ways in which unequal access to fuelwood resources is encouraged. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
