Environmental Implications Of Charcoal Production (A Case Study Of Narok County)

Abstract

The project highlights major environmental issues and challenges facing the county due to charcoal business and formulate appropriate environmental management strategies in order to achieve sustained economic development in Narok County through sustainable charcoal production methods. The research project also highlights the contribution of charcoal burning to deforestation. The findings of this research project is of great value and the suggested measures if implemented can be valuable to achieve sustainable production techniques to meet the ever increasing demand for charcoal through facilitating substitution with modern fuels, increasing end-use and transformation efficiencies, introducing economic pricing, enhancing the management of natural resources, and introducing an incentive charcoal policy framework involving local participation. The target population for the study will be the charcoal producers in Narok County. The simple random sampling method was used to pick the charcoal producers population. The sample size for the charcoal producers was ten percent of the population. The study employed the descriptive survey design. Data was collected by use of questionnaires. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics and thereafter presented by use of statistical means. The results were subjected to statistical tests which entailed chi-square tests and spearman rank correlation order tests. The study found out that the charcoal producers considered the earnings from charcoal as a motivation to increase charcoal production. They considered the environment that they worked in as not adequate to guarantee them of sustainability in the industry and they had myriad challenges which included transport and the statutory regulations among others. The study thus concluded that the charcoal producers considered the earnings from the industry as inadequate. The technology they employed in charcoal production was equally considered as the greatest contributor to environmental pollution, deforestation and the absence of regulatory framework was considered as an impediment to the growth of the industry. The study recommended that the charcoal producers should exploit their numbers in terms of the membership of the associations to better their fortunes. They should equally engage in massive reforestation and employ sustainable charcoal productions practices as regards the less harmful environmental practices to have the best quality charcoal at minimal costs and reduced environmental damage.