Short description of the project and its intervention strategy
This project is based on a two-pronged theory of change:
In order to bring about a lasting and positive evolution in Tanzania’s marginalized and unsustainable charcoal sector, it is necessary to intervene at both the policy and practice level.
The project demonstrates better ways of doing business in a practical way through its support of sustainable, community-based, charcoal production, led explicitly by market forces. The project aims to incentivize ecologically sustainable production by facilitating the re-structuring of the charcoal value chain by securing exemptions from Central Government royalties for charcoal produced sustainably from village forest reserves; and by allowing communities to set and retain their own fees with these funds, which are then made available for community development and sustainable natural resources management.
Main results achieved and implementation performance of the project
The project partners successfully modeled a sustainable charcoal value chain that provides more security to charcoal producers; significant village-level revenue from permit fees; and an environmentally sustainable harvesting approach. The key change has been to establish a mechanism whereby verifiably sustainable charcoal is exempt from Central Government royalties, so that communities can charge and retain fees instead.
During this first year, the project has achieved increased support from stakeholders at national and local levels for sustainable charcoal, as a result of a participatory evaluation of the project; a national workshop involving key biomass energy policy makers; media coverage; and meetings with relevant members of parliament and senior civil servants. The project has improved the governance of the model at the local level, including improved record-keeping, increased compliance with sustainable harvesting practices, and more effective law enforcement. The model has been extended to an additional 2 villages in Kilosa District and preparations have been made to scale up to 2 additional districts, including securing funds for a 4-year second phase for the project.
Main steering implications for next period of interventions
Scaling up and mainstreaming the model is the next key step. With 15-20 million ha of woodland on village land, of which 2.3 million ha are already in > 800 village forest reserves, there is significant potential to scale up. This requires partnerships with other organizations and initiatives capable of establishing the model, including Tanzania's National Forest and Beekeeping Program (NFBKP III) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Evaluating and improving the model based on research from the first year will help to increase impact. Promoting the sustainability of the model will be critical in Phase 2, including building capacity and embedding incentives in the model (and removing barriers) for multiple stakeholders to support the sustainable charcoal value chain independent of donor funding. Withdrawal from the Phase 1 in villages needs to be done in such a way as to ensure that communities continue to implement the sustainable model.
More effort is needed to increase incentives for producers, including increasing their incomes. Diversifying forest-based enterprises, including integrating sustainable timber harvesting and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) into Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) will reduce risks and increase community incomes. Widespread evasion of royalty payments within the charcoal industry and a licensing system that is not grounded in sustainable harvesting principles are contextual challenges that need to be addressed. Awareness raising and advocacy remain critical for the success of the model particularly given persistent and widespread misconceptions about the charcoal sector.
