Abstract
AbstractMost people in rural sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity and rely on traditional, inefficient, and polluting cooking solutions that have adverse impacts on both human health and the environment. Here, we propose a novel integrated agroforestry-bioenergy system that combines sustainable biomass production in sequential agroforestry systems with biomass-based cleaner cooking solutions and rural electricity production in small-scale combined heat and power plants and estimate the biophysical system outcomes. Despite conservative assumptions, we demonstrate that on-farm biomass production can cover the household’s fuelwood demand for cooking and still generate a surplus of woody biomass for electricity production via gasification. Agroforestry and biochar soil amendments should increase agricultural productivity and food security. In addition to enhanced energy security, the proposed system should also contribute to improving cooking conditions and health, enhancing soil fertility and food security, climate change mitigation, gender equality, and rural poverty reduction.
Funder
Swedish International Development Agency
Bio4energy, Strategic Research Area
Vetenskapsrådet
Umea University
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference85 articles.
1. Aung, T.W., G. Jain, K. Sethuraman, J. Baumgartner, C. Reynolds, A.P. Grieshop, J.D. Marshall, and M. Brauer. 2016. Health and climate-relevant pollutant concentrations from a carbon-finance approved cookstove intervention in rural India. Environmental Science & Technology 50: 7228–7238.
2. AfDB. 2016. Green mini-grids in sub-Saharan Africa: Analysis of barriers to growth and the potential role of the African Development Bank in Supporting the Sector. African Development Bank Group.
3. Ajayi, O.C., S. Franzel, E. Kuntashula, and F. Kwesiga. 2003. Adoption of improved fallow technology for soil fertility management in Zambia: Empirical studies and emerging issues. Agroforestry Systems 59: 317–326.
4. Ali, M.U., Y. Yu, B. Yousaf, M.A.M. Munir, S. Ullah, C. Zheng, X. Kuang, and M.H. Wong. 2021. Health impacts of indoor air pollution from household solid fuel on children and women. Journal of Hazardous Materials 416: 126127.
5. Allesina, G., and S. Pedrazzi. 2021. Barriers to success: A technical review on the limits and possible future roles of small scale gasifiers. Energies 14: 6711.