Understanding the determinants of household fuelwood consumption in Jemma’a Local Government Area, Kaduna State – Nigeria

Abstract

Understanding the determinants of household fuelwood energy consumption and the reason for such decisions is important in designing policies and programs that will address the household energy needs as well as measures to eliminate deforestation caused by fuelwood consumption. This study provides a road map for understanding the household’s fuelwood consumption behavior for meaningful energy planning and environmental sustainability. A questionnaire is used to collect information from the household fuelwood consumers and fuelwood traders respectively. 300 fuelwood consumers and 60 sellers were given a
questionnaire using systematic random sampling for consumers and snowball sampling for sellers. The results of the study show that fuelwood is the main energy source for household activities, and the reason for choosing fuelwood is because it is a cheap energy source compared to other energy types. Furthermore, the outcome indicates that household circumstances such as income and affordability have a direct relationship with fuelwood consumption. The study has important policy implications on household energy supply and environmental management.