IAR Journal of Engineering and Technology ISSN Print : 2708-5155 | ISSN Online : 2708-5163 Frequency : Bi-Monthly Language : English Origin : Kenya Website : https://www.iarconsortium.org/journal-info/IARJET

Fuel Wood Agro Business and Its Domestic Usage in Ngor Okpala Local Government Council of , Nigeria

Article History Abstract: This paper examined the major facts which motivate households’ decisions to engage in agro business of fuelwood, determined the most preferred Received: 29. 01.2021 fuel wood species and availability of income inequality among selected Revision: 07. 02.2021 communities. The study sampled six selected communities in the Ngor Okpala Accepted: 19.02.2021 based on poverty and rural dependence mode. The paper used the simple random Published: 28.02.2021 sample along with a structured questionnaire to get information from respondents. Author Details The results showed that, increased in travel cost and cost of access to forested C.O OSUAGWU1, OBI-IHEBIE, U.I1 and K.I. sites impact negatively on the number of visits for fuel wood. The study further OSUAGWU2 revealed that, benefits from fuel wood agro business in terms of reducing income Authors Affiliations inequality differ from community to community. The study recommended that, 1 government and international organizations should facilitate the cultivation forest Department of Agricultural Extension Management, Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo, P.M.B 1472, sites solely for fuel wood harvest to ensure environmental sustainability. In , Nigeria addition, fuel wood harvesters must be taught forest management and

2 conservation strategies in Imo State, Nigeria Department of Health Services, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B 1526, Owerri, Imo State, Keywords: Fuel Wood, Agro Business, Domestic Usage, Inequality, Forest Management Nigeria Corresponding Author* NTRODUCTION C.O OSUAGWU I Fuelwood studies have given rather less attention to the effect of How to Cite the Article: C.O OSUAGWU, OBI-IHEBIE, U.I & K.I. urban demand on fuelwood production and supply than to most other OSUAGWU (2021 Fuel Wood Agro Business aspects. The tendency to regard fuelwood as mainly the concern of rural and Its Domestic Usage in Ngor Okpala Local producers and consumers discouraged the study of the commercial Government Council of Imo State, Nigeria organization of the fuelwood industry, and of the role of fuelwood in the .IAR J Eng Tech, 2(1), 104-110. development process. Whilst it is highly probable that most fuelwood use lies outside the monetary economy, nevertheless there is growing, even substantial, evidence of the use of fuelwood in towns (including charcoal) for both domestic and industrial purposes (Osuagwu and Osuagwu, 2020). There is evidence too of the purchase of fuelwood by a small proportion of rural consumers, particularly those who are not farmers or who have higher incomes. Fuel wood has been further defined to be wood whose form is rough and could be branches of trees, logs, sawdust, pellets and twigs mainly for energy generation (Akther et al.,., 2010). Fuel wood has played significant role in domestic and commercial energy consumption world over. Cook et al.,., (2008) estimated approximately about two billion people world over use biomass in the form of fuel wood and charcoal for cooking and heating. These people have depended on these natural resources for their survival for a very long period of time. Human beings have always had a close relationship with environmental resources and therefore take their livelihood from it. Twerefou and Ababio (2012) put it that, more than half of the developing world inhabitants who are considered very active depend in part or whole on the environment which could be hunting, fishing, agriculture, forestry and so on. Forest and environmental resources are considered to have played an important role in both rural and urban livelihoods but particular reference is given to rural livelihood (Walelign, 2013). The rural inhabitants often subsisted through dependence on forest resources and the environment. Kiflu et al., (2009) explained that, researchers on fuelwood use in developing regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America believed that, wood fuel was a major factor in tropical deforestation and thus, accounted for forests loss and widespread wood fuel shortages. However, other studies disproved the notion that, wood fuel harvesting is a direct cause of deforestation since most wood fuel demand is met by trees and shrubs growing outside of forest areas and from farm clearance (Heltberg, et al.,., 2000). Imo State’s fuelwood consumption is been increasing for both urban and rural inhabitants. This invariably has motivated many people to engage in commercial harvest of the fuel wood. Fuelwood is still widely used as a dominant energy among all classes of people across sub Saharan Africa and Nigeria is no exception (Amuah, 2011).

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Dominance in fuelwood agro business has had method. The results showed that, a daily average of gender dimension in Nigeria both rural and urban areas 91.9 tons of wood was harvested from the forest and and could relate to gender dimension to poverty and transported into Kaduna State through various classes livelihood alternatives. Women in most cases in the of vehicles. Approximately, about 15% of the harvested rural settings in Nigeria undertake major part of the wood had a diameter of less than 5cm, 40% (5.1–10 farm activities including walking to distant places to cm), 14% (10.1–15 cm), 16% (15.1–20 cm) and 15% (> gather fuel wood. Osuagwu and Osuagwu (2020) stated 20 cm). They revealed harvesters did not use any that gathering and collecting fuelwood alongside their specific scientific method of harvesting and the rate of farming activities involve women walking long regeneration and/or replacement planting trees were distances and this impact negatively on women. below the rate of harvesting. They viewed the demand Azeez et al.,., (2014) further opined that, to achieve for fuel wood, poverty level, the harvesting cost, and poverty reduction based on forest products, there has to availability of fuel alternatives would affect the rate of be an increase in the creation of wealth through forest wood harvesting. They recommended that, Government products production, processing and marketing, and to at all levels; NGO (Non-Governmental Organisations) streamline mechanisms to guarantee that some of that and CBO (Community Based Organisations) should wealth is captured by the intended beneficiaries. Thus, expand the forest and at the same time put in place a commercialization of fuel wood perhaps could enhance sustainable method of harvesting. This support the welfare. intent of the current study as fuelwood harvesters in the The objective of the study was to assess fuelwood study area share similar characteristics. agro business and domestic usage in selected rural areas of Imo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: ATERIALS AND ETHODS identify the major factors which motivate households’ M M decision to engage in agro business of fuelwood in The study was conducted in Ngor Okpala Local Ngor Okpala, Imo State, Nigeria. Determine the most Government of Imo State of the cattle corridor. preferred fuelwood specie by households and Ngor Okpala is a Local Government Area of Imo availability of income inequality among participating State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of communities in Ngor Okpala, Imo State, Nigeria. Umuneke Ngor. It has an area of 561 km²; it has a Establish fuelwood agro business and domestic usage in population of 159,932 at the 2006 census. It is a notable sampled communities in Ngor Okpala, Imo State, place in Imo state because of the LGA's locational Nigeria. position. Ngor Okpala Local Government Area in Imo A study by Azeez et al., (2014) on the utilization State of Nigeria which is located in the rain forest belt pattern and economic evaluation of fuelwood of Nigeria; was carved out of and . Ngor Okpala lie between latitude 5o 25`N enterprise: A case study of some areas in Ibadan o 0 o Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria to evaluate the and 5 31`N and longitude 6 59`E and 7 04`E. Ngor profitability and factors influencing fuelwood Okpala has a land area of about 12, 145 square profitability among marketers in the study area. They kilometers, with population of about 950,000. employed descriptive and quantitative techniques in the Climatically, Ngor Okpala is characterized with heavy analysis of the data. The result showed that majority of rainfall pattern averaging about 1900mm (190cm) per households used fuelwood for cooking purposes and annum, temperature ranging from 220 C-340 C daily that the marketing of this product is highly profitable. (Imo State Government, 2007). The area was chosen The average Profitability Index for all farms was 0.75, because most of the inhabitants are engaged in various indicating that out of every N10 earned; about N7.5 types of farming; this is justified by the presence of accrue to the marketer as profit after accounting for all thick forests in the area which from time origin. The cost. Therefore marketing of fuel wood holds a great maps of the study area and the state are shown in potential for income generation as it was found to be a Figures 1 and 2 below. very profitable business. This justifies for the current Primary data were collected by a pre tested semi- study in this area considering the fact that, both structured questionnaire administered through face to face locations have higher rates of employment. interviews to capture the underlying social, cultural and Taiye and Emmanuel (2015) examined the economic data. Data collected included age, sex of the sustainability of fuelwood harvesting from Afaka Forest household head, size of the grazing land owned, access to Reserve in Kaduna State, Nigeria. They used field market information, reasons of keeping cattle, participation in observation, physical measurement of harvested wood the livestock marketing and channels used, road infrastructure diameters, photographing reporting and farmers’ status and challenges encountered. Secondary data to augment interviews. The data was analyzed, by means of the research included livestock production estimates and descriptive statistics in order to estimate the quantity of livestock off-take rates was collected from Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) office in Owerri, Imo State. wood harvested per day, week, month and year; as well as the sizes of harvested trees and the harvesting

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C.O OSUAGWU, et al., IAR J Eng Tech; Vol-2, Iss- 1 (Jan-Feb, 2021):104-110 Information on the fuelwood types were stated in period in which fuel wood commercialization was Igbo Language for uniformity. Igbo Language is the evident. The analyses were based on descriptive dominant language in the study area. In the various statistics including frequency distribution. communities, we employed the services of literate inhabitants to translate into the local dialect for Four communities namely Obiangwu / Logara, questionnaire administration. The data was collected by Obib - Ezena, Amala / Olulu / Oburu, Ihite-Okwe, five (5) trained research assistants in addition to the Umuowa and Ohekelem / Nnorie were randomly author. The period for the data collection was selected from Ngor Okpala Local Government Council. November 2015 to April, 2016. This was the dry season

Figure 1: Location Map of Ngor-Okpala L.G.A. Imo State (Adopted from Ministry of Land and Survey, Owerri).

Figure 1: Map of Imo State showing the three Agricultural zones.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Households (Households Characteristics) Variable Frequency % N= 280 Sex: Male 88 31.4} Female 142 68.6} Age: 20yrs-34yrs 21 7.5 35yrs-44yrs 82 29.3 45yrs-54yrs 126 45.0 55yrs + 51 18.20

Table 1: Descriptive Statistics for Sampled Immediate Dependents: Marital Status: Single 21 7.5 Married 202 72.1 Divorced/Separated 21 7.5 Widow/Widower 36 12.9 Highest Level of Formal Education:

None 232 82.9 Middle/JSS 29 10.4 SSS 19 6.8

Table 1 showed information on households’ data that, the rural households have high population characteristics which are: sex, age, immediate growth rates. The results evidently also show high dependents, marital status, highest level of formal number of respondents without formal education 232 education and employment status along with their (82.9%). Therefore, due to lack of employable skills as frequencies, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. many as 187 (66.8%) decided to engaged in fuel wood The results has shown that, 88(31.4%) of the results commercialization as a full time business and few are were males and 192(68.6%) were females. The age of involved in other part time businesses. In the case of the respondents showed that, 126 (45.0%) are in the age dominance in the fuel wood commercialization 45-54 actively engaged in fuel wood commercialization business, the results revealed that, women were in the selected districts. Predominantly, 202 (72.1%) of domination in the business and this result is supported the married had approximately four (4) immediate by Tabuti et al., (2003) study which opined that, women dependents and this is supported by the IMLS (2019) are dominating in fuel wood business.

Table 2: Harvesting and Sustainability Main Source of Obtaining Fuelwood Total Open Vegetation Farm Gatherings Total Types of Fuelwood Harvested Dead Dry Trees 167 19 186 Over Aged Trees 94 0 94 Total 261 19 280 Field Survey: 2016

From the results on Table 2, the main source that the which was obvious from the results, they were mindful sampled households obtained their fuel wood was from to harvest significantly dead dry trees. The study also open vegetation, 261 (93.2%). The trees they harvested related that, they also harvested over aged trees, 186 for fuel wood was mainly dead dry trees as shown on (33.6%) which in terms of regeneration may not have the table 186 (66.4%). With these two cross tabulation, been possible. The results on the table revealed there exist a sustainability harvest idea in that, even community members do obey the directives of the local though, the inhabitants harvested from open vegetation authorities not to harvest wet standing trees. 107

C.O OSUAGWU, et al., IAR J Eng Tech; Vol-2, Iss- 1 (Jan-Feb, 2021):104-110 The results regarding the implied sustainability The results from Figure 3 showed that, 240 (85.7%) harvesting is supported by Manyatsi and Hlophe (2010). of the respondents said that, income generation has Many households perhaps would in future continue to been the reason for them engaging in fuelwood agro be involved in fuelwood Agro Business owing to the business. Even though, they had other non-fuelwood fact that, it is an open access resources and not from the occupations and the income from fuelwood agro few restricted forested areas in the study area. In business is higher than other sources. Whereas 21 addition, fuelwood harvested are dead/dry trees and (7.5%) said unemployment was a factor which household heads believed that, fuel wood harvested motivated them to engaged in fuelwood agro business, from restricted forested sites is not a major challenge. and remaining 19 (6.8%) attributed their involvement in the business to seasonal nature of faming activities. The study investigated the major factors which motivated sampled households to engage in fuel wood Tabuti et al., (2003) noted, because households Agro business as a business entity. Some of the sampled considered fuel wood to be available so they easily communities had no major forest and therefore involved in commercial activity related to fuel wood. existences of trees were few. Relying on this, thus The households however, have preferences regarding triggered the question of motivational factors. The the fuel wood they harvest for commercial purposes. distributions of the responses from the sampled The implication of the figure 1 is that, household heads household heads are shown in Figure 3. go into fuel wood agro business due to income.

Table 3: Source of Income for households Frequency Percentage Fuel wood 156 55.7 Charcoal 60 21.4 Hunting 31 11.1 Forest plant foods 33 11.8 Total 280 100.0

Motivation for Fuelwood Agro Business

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12

10 Series 3 8 Series 2 6 Series 1

4

2

0 Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

Figure 3: Major factors Motivating Households Decision to engage in Fuelwood Agro Business Source: Field Survey, 2016

Category 4 = Income = 240 (85.7%) Categories 1 and 2 = Unemployment 21 (7.5%) Category 3 = Seasonality of farming = 19 (6.8%) 108

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Respondents were asked to provide information results are further supported by Gladman and regarding the main sources of their incomes. This was Muchapondwa, 2013 that, households do not only to provide explanation regarding the composition of depend on fuelwood but other environmental resources incomes from the sampled communities. The responses for survival. are shown in Table 3 above. The study further intended to find out which fuel Sources of income for households as shown in Table wood species was preferred by sampled households as a 3, proved that, majority of the sampled households 156 fuel wood for commercial purposes and the results are (55.7%) obtained their income from fuelwood agro shown in the Table 4. business and the least been proceeds from hunting. The

Table 4: Preferred Fuel wood Harvested Tree Species Frequency Percentage Anacardium occidentale (Cashew Tree) 25 8.9 Haematostaphis barteri (Blood Plum) 30 10.7 Adansonia digitata ( Baobab) 42 15 Cordyla pinnata (Cayor Pear Tree) 21 7.5 Piliostigma thonningii (Camel’s foot) 34 12.1 Senna siamea (Siamese Cassia) 113 40.4 Neocarya macrophyla (Gingerbread Plum) 15 5.4 Total 280 100 Source: Field Survey, 2016

As one of the objective of the study was to of households. In addition, Senna siamea (Siamese investigate which of the tree species were preferred by Cassia) is the most preferred fuelwood specie among sampled households. This objective was necessitated to the respondents. The study linked fuelwood agro draw conclusion regarding ADP (Agricultural business and its domestic usage. The major conclusion Development Programme) Afforestation programme. drawn from the study is that, fuelwood agro business at The results showed that Siamese Cassia popular among the study areas contributed significantly to poverty the sampled locality, was the most preferred tree reduction and welfare enhancement and a major safety species for fuel wood with 113 (40.4%). net; and that, the activity is sustainability and environmental friendly. ONCLUSIONS AND POLICY C From policy recommendations, the findings does RECOMMENDATIONS rely on the fact that, fuelwood agro business can This paper studied fuelwood agro business and its potential move inhabitants of Ngor Okpala Local domestic use in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Government Council of Imo State, Nigeria above the Council of Imo State, Nigeria. The study sampled six poverty line as shown in the data. A policy intervention (6) communities and elicited information from aimed at deliberate cultivation of forest for fuelwood household heads. The intent of the paper was to either from government, non-governmental investigate benefit from fuelwood agro business from organization or international donors would better the the local populace in the study area. The analysis of the lives of the people. results proved sustainable harvest of fuelwood for agro business as 167 (60%) of the respondents harvested The accessed lands in the areas were mainly open dead/dry tree as fuelwood and not wet standing trees. vegetation and harvesters did not need any training to This harvest of dead/dry trees is done instead of wet harvest, therefore, forest management and conservation standing trees because of the directive from the strategies must be given a serious attention within these community leaders. The results of the study further areas by the forest commissions. Finally, policies put in revealed that, 240 (85.7%) were motivated for fuelwood place to prevent or limit fuelwood agro business should commercialization because of income and harvesters be done away, as the study has revealed that, their earn some amount of income. activity do not cause any environmental degradations.

Another interesting observation is that, household heads diversify their portfolio in terms of income seeking and dependable on forested resources, however, fuel wood has been a major contributor to the incomes 109

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