The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) joined forces in 2019, leveraging a combined 65 years’ experience in research on the role of forests and trees in solving critical global challenges.
Using a combination of both high and nature-based technologies can help Uganda support its population and its large influx of refugees.
Uganda is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, with about 1,425,040 people who mostly sought refuge from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.
The continued influx of refugees into the country confronts people and host landscapes with severe challenges, such as large volumes of biomass required for energy and building material. Consequently, woodlands have come under pressure, raising questions of how to achieve a higher standard of living and energy autonomy while reducing demand and safeguarding nature.
A research team from World Agroforestry (ICRAF), ASB Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins, and Agroscope, Switzerland set out to answer the question by examining the potential for ‘complementary’ technologies — both nature-based and high — to meet the need for energy for cooking and other purposes for both refugees and the host population.
‘Most districts in Uganda are experiencing a growing demand for woodfuel and the accessible wood supply is diminishing,’ said Lalisa Duguma, an ICRAF scientist working on sustainable landscapes and integrated climate actions and a co-author of the team’s report of their study that was published in the journal, Energy, Ecology and Environment. ‘This situation has been further aggravated by population growth, the arrival of refugees and lack of alternatives. Large parts of Uganda are not connected to the national electricity grid and have no access to off-grid electricity.’
The team noted that when households' socioeconomic status rises, they climb the ‘energy ladder’ and switch between fuels. The transformation process runs gradually over time from the so-called ‘primitive’ fuels (firewood and agricultural and animal waste) through ‘transition’ fuels (charcoal, kerosene and coal) to ‘advanced’ fuels (LPG, electricity and biofuels). At present, wood is the most important energy source in Uganda, serving the cooking purposes of 94% of the population, with roughly two-thirds coming from forests and one-third from charcoal.
The Sustainable Development Goal of Affordable and Clean Energy calls for access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, the absence of which is known as ‘energy poverty’. To reduce energy poverty in the country, in 2016 the Government of Uganda, with the financial and technical support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Bank, established a Refugee and Host Population Empowerment Strategic Framework that provides refugees with the right to work, establish businesses and have access to social services. Land for agricultural production is also allocated. with the main aim of economic and social integration of refugees and empowerment of, and support to, host communities.
‘Renewable energies are, therefore, timely for Uganda,’ said Duguma. ‘They are sustainable, can perform off-grid and are available in small-scale installations with low economic, technical and learning requirements. Growing trees in agricultural fields, known as agroforestry, can simultaneously provide food, fodder and reliable firewood sources. Together, high technology and nature-based technology can provide a comprehensive solution for the range of energy users in Uganda.’
Iiyama and others, writing in the book, Climate-smart landscapes: multifunctionality in practice, in 2015, and Faße and others in 2014, pointed out that if widely adopted, agroforestry could provide sustainable woodfuel while reducing pressure on forests and increasing farmers' autonomy and independence. Trees in agroforestry systems can serve as sources of woodfuel in their establishment phase and also provide food and fodder for humans and animals plus construction material as they mature.
In the specific context of refugee settlements, agroforestry’s advantages become even more valuable. Most refugees start from scratch: their households have little or no income and rely mainly on primitive fuels, such as woodfuel collected from surrounding vegetation. After they settle and become more established, their rising energy demand could be met by these renewable energy options.
Solar energy is used for lighting in 20.7% of rural households in Uganda. Solar Home Systems produce electricity with solar panels, using batteries to store the energy. They are a stand-alone solution while little technical knowledge is needed to maintain the system.
Agroforestry is a valuable opportunity in combination with renewable energies, especially for rural households. It is also essential as an interim solution for restructuring and transforming energy supply: agroforestry systems fit perfectly into the energy transition process.
A combination of nature-based and technological components has the potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of Affordable and Clean Energy for All but will require investment and capacity building for nature-based solutions and efficient and clean energy technology (for example, improved cookstoves, solar panels). This mix will reduce the pressure on woodlands, enhance the environment and increase Ugandan households' autonomy and independence, releasing them from energy poverty.
Read more
Kay S, Duguma LA, Okia CA. 2021. The potentials of technology complementarity to address energy poverty in refugee-hosting landscapes in Uganda. Energy, Ecology and Environment(2021).
World Agroforestry (ICRAF) is a centre of scientific and development excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees for people and the environment. Knowledge produced by ICRAF enables governments, development agencies and farmers to utilize the power of trees to make farming and livelihoods more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable at multiple scales. ICRAF is one of the 15 members of the CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. We thank all donors who support research in development through their contributions to the CGIAR Fund.