ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING SUSTAINABLE COMMERCIAL FUELWOOD COLLECTION IN DAWADAWA AND KUNSU IN KINTAMPO NORTH DISTRICT OF GHANA

Abstract

This paper examines factors affecting sustainable commercial fuelwood collection in the Kintampo North District of Ghana for the purposes of sustainable woodland management and fuelwood collection. Over dependence on fuelwood collection for livelihood by the rural people in Kintampo North District leads to over exploitation of the woodlands in the area. This situation is a source of concern to managements of woodland and traditional energy sub-sector in the country. Biophysical and socio-economic factors contribute to woodland management in diverse ways: by hindering the exploitation of woodland thereby facilitating sustainable fuelwood collection; and by promoting exploitation of woodland. Focus group discussion was employed to identify factors affecting fuelwood collection in Dawadawa and Kunsu communities of Kintampo North District. Pair-wise comparison was used to rank the factors. Participatory mapping was used to map fuelwood collection sites for relating the collection sites to biophysical factors. Large tracks of land have been exploited at Dawadawa compared to Kunsu, mainly due to the type of land tenure system. Land tenure and low producer price of fuelwood were ranked first in Dawadawa and Kunsu respectively among the factors affecting commercial fuelwood collection. Current collection sites are over 24km and 10km respectively from settlements in Dawadawa and Kunsu. The land tenure system practised in Kunsu promotes effective management system for sustainable fuelwood collection in the Kintampo North District of Ghana; which can be adopted in the other districts of Ghana.