Commercialization of Fuel Wood in Bamenda II Subdivision, North West Region of Cameroon

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue VIII, August 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Commercialization of Fuel Wood in Bamenda II Subdivision, North West Region of Cameroon

Sop Sop Maturin Desiré^1*, Tizih Mirabel Ngum¹, Kemadjou Mbakemi Deric Larey^2
1Department of Geography, Higher Teacher’s Training College (HTTC)-The University of Bamenda, Cameroon
²Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences -The University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon
*Corresponding Author

Abstract: The mid-1980s’ economic crisis in Cameroon led to poverty and high rates of unemployment. This phenomenon forced many people to fuel wood exploitation as a source of income and employment. More than 3/4 of the population of Bamenda II has limited access to modern energy sources such as domestic gas and so has resorted to the use of fuel wood as their major source of cooking energy.The objective of this study is to examine the various actors involved in the marketing and consumption of fuel wood in the Bamenda II. The methodology consisted of using questionnaire, interview of stakeholders, direct observations and data collected from secondary sources; it was revealed that the fuel wood in Bamenda II is supplied more from outside the Sub- Division than local sources like Bali, Santa, amongst others. The results also show that over 128,544 tons of firewood is commercialized per annum. The beneficial aspects of firewood consumption are manifested in its socio-economic gains by vendors such as improvement in living standards and stimulation of savings. The major negative implication noted was that of loss of resources and air pollution which can be ameliorated via afforestation and the use of improved stoves.

Key Words: Commercialization, fuel wood, resources, air pollution.

I. INTRODUCTION

Energy constitutes one of the most important aspects of human life. It is a commodity that is vital for the existence of modern life (Bhattarai, 2014). This is because in every economy, all economic activities ranging from residential, manufacturing, agriculture, transport as well as services sectors depend to a large extent on various energy sources to function. It is generally agreed that the household sector is one of the most important energy consumption sector. For instance, energy consumption of the residential sector accounts for approximately 30% of the total world energy consumption (Agyarko, 2009).About half of global wood production is used for energy (FAO, 2016). One-third of households worldwide and two-thirds of those in Africa use wood as their main fuel for cooking, heating and water boiling. Wood fuel provides more than half of the energy supply in 29 countries, of which 22 are in sub- Saharan Africa.

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