University of California International and Area Studies

Kenya consumes 4-7 thousand tons of charcoal per day. Much of Kenya’s charcoal comes from shrubland or savannah. After harvest, this land may be allowed to regenerate, but increasingly charcoal is used as a means to clear land for crop cultivation. This is particularly true in Narok District, one of Kenya’s main charcoal production areas and an increasingly important grain production zone. Land management specifically for charcoal is extremely rare. Charcoal production and use is associated with high greenhouse gas emissions relative to other common energy options. However, there have been few attempts to analyze the land-use change implications associated with different charcoal production systems, This paper uses computer modeling parameterized with empirical data to analyze the carbon dynamics of current charcoal production practices, including changes in stocks of soil and biomass carbon resulting from land cover change linked to charcoal production. On a life cycle basis, the common practice of charcoal production followed by grain cultivation leads to a loss of 40 tC per ha (2.7 tC per ton of charcoal produced). Charcoal production by coppice management of native vegetation releases 3-9 tC per ha over 50 years of management (0.08-0.3 tC per ton of charcoal produced). Charcoal production using a fast growing exotic species (eucalyptus grandis) managed on a 10-year coppice managed cycle results in a net sink of 150 tC per ha (0.5-0.8 tC sequestered per ton of charcoal produced). These results are compared to life cycle emissions from other common household fuels and policy implications are discussed.