Promoting Sustainable Woodfuel Systems: A Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Program Design

The ultimate objective of the guidance is to help USAID achieve integrated impacts related to increased food production, reduced biodiversity loss, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and increased resilient and inclusive economic growth. Governments and the international development community are increasingly concerned about the impact of woodfuel harvesting on forests. Forests play a critical role in sustaining the world's biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and supporting global economic growth. Overharvesting for woodfuel can diminish these benefits and, in extreme cases, destroy forests. Improved woodfuel management supports international environmental goals, is an element of landscape revitalization efforts such as the Bonn Challenge, and contributes to global efforts to reduce forest carbon emissions. The ProLand team was tasked to review the evidence-based literature to develop recommendations for promoting sustainable woodfuel production. The review of the literature highlights the importance of an integrated approach to promoting inclusive, sustainable woodfuel markets. This approach involves four components: government-led reforestation, national government regulation of woodfuel, strengthening local governance of woodfuel production, and fostering woodfuel production by smallholders. Government-led reforestation campaigns can generate political will and popular awareness, while efficient and equitable regulation controls overharvesting and supports inclusive markets. Decentralizing forest management empowers and engages local communities, while enabling smallholder tree cultivation creates a sustainable alternative to wood harvested from natural forests. The review of the literature also highlights the challenges governments face in implementing these components. Challenges to national reforestation campaigns include inadequate funding, lack of coordination among stakeholders, and limited community engagement. Challenges to strengthening local governance of woodfuel production include inadequate capacity building, lack of transparency, and limited community participation. Recommendations for addressing these challenges include providing support to improve woodfuel regulation, strengthening local governance of woodfuel production, and fostering sustainable, inclusive woodfuel production and sale. These recommendations are based on the review of the literature and are intended to support the development of integrated sustainable woodfuel programs. The ProLand project aims to develop and disseminate evidence-based guidance around best management practices for sustainably intensifying land use. The ultimate objective of the guidance is to help USAID achieve integrated impacts related to increased food production, reduced biodiversity loss, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and increased resilient and inclusive economic growth. The project's focus on woodfuel management is critical to achieving these objectives, as woodfuel harvesting can have significant impacts on forests and the environment. The ProLand project's recommendations for promoting sustainable woodfuel systems are based on a review of the literature and are intended to support the development of integrated sustainable woodfuel programs. These recommendations include providing support to improve woodfuel regulation, strengthening local governance of woodfuel production, and fostering sustainable, inclusive woodfuel production and sale. By implementing these recommendations, governments and the international development community can help to promote sustainable woodfuel systems and reduce the impacts of woodfuel harvesting on forests and the environment.