On-farm wood fuel sources and household energy requirements

Wood fuels remain a very important source of cooking energy for households in Uganda. A study of the contribution of on-farm fuelwood sources to household cooking energy requirements was conducted in the area surrounding Budongo Forest Reserve, specifically in Budongo Sub County, Masindi District in Uganda using household surveys. A total of 90 households were randomly selected by cluster sampling and ear marked for data collection. Chi Square tests of independence were conducted and null hypothesis was accepted at significance level P¿0.005. It was revealed that households choose energy sources basing on education, source and level of income while the consumption rate for fuelwood was so much dependent on the number of household members, primary source of income and the education level of the household head. The study established that that household members travel on average a distance of 6km to and from the forest to fetch firewood for household use which is very time consuming.