Assessment of Woody and Non-Woody Fuel Biomass Resource Availability and Rate of Consumption in the Somodo Model Watershed South-Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Plant biomass is a major source of energy for rural households in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the heavy reliance on this form of energy is a threat to forest ecosystems and a root cause for accelerated land degradation. Due to the increasing scarcity of fuel wood resources, rural communities have shifted to utilization of crop residues which important resources for soil fertility improvement. Therefore, this study was focused on assessment of woody and non woody fuel biomass resources availability and the rate of consumption in the Somodo model watershed. A survey was conducted in the Somodo model watershed, using a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions for primary data collection. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version 16. The household survey result shows that, the main source of energy in both improved fuel saving stove user and non-user were fuel wood, crop residue and coffee husk for cooking activities. With regard to annual energy consumption, the amount of energy consumed by improved stove non-user is twice higher than improved fuel saving stove user. In addition, the result indicates that both groups (improve fuel saving stove user and non-user) mainly got fuel wood from forest found around their home and from their own farmlands. Hence, the pressure on woody biomass in both groups implies the absence of electricity in the model watershed and this is one of the major factors of exploiting forest resources. As a result, forest resource degradation is the primary threats. Therefore, the study suggests that government and nongovernmental organizations should provide alternative energy sources that can simplify the pressure on the forest resources in the area.

Keywords: Woody and Non-woody biomass, Forest resource, Improved stove, Model watershed, Energy