Energy Access and Impact Analysis of Biogas Harnessing on MAU Forest Conservation

Abstract

Forests as a source of energy are important in many countries, especially in rural areas in the subSaharan African countries, where the availability of wood fuel is literally a human necessity for survival. These countries rely heavily on wood as a source of energy, especially for heating and cooking, and most of them are struggling to maintain their forests in the face of increasing populations and weak economies. The Mau Forest Complex sits within Kenya’s Rift Valley and is the largest indigenous montane forest in East Africa but human activity including; agriculture, logging, and settlements, has reduced the Mau Forest to a quarter of what it once was, disrupting the forest’s role in storing and distributing water to outlying areas. This study aimed at evaluating energy access and the impact of biogas harnessing for home cooking on Mau forest conservation and on communities living next to the forest, then to propose appropriate recommendation. Area of study was on south western Mau, where data collections was done in regions of; Chebangang, Nyangores, Londiani and Olenguruone. Data collection was facilitated using Hedera toolkit app with inbuilt questionnaire. The results obtained were generalized to represent the whole Mau Complex. Electricity sources and cooking fuels were evaluated using multi-tier framework methodology. Electricity sources used by 90 % of the population were categorized in tier 1 while cooking fuels used by 37.6% of the population were categorized in tier 1 and tier 2. Knowledge of biogas technology was found be very low, where only 24% of the population are knowledgeable. With Pearson coefficient of 0.85, relationship of education level and choice of cook stove was concluded to be independent. Analyzing energy demand in the region based on Business-As-Usual scenario (BAU), cooking energy demand will triple by the year 2040, and fuelwood will remain primary cooking fuel thus putting pressure on forest resource. It was concluded that adoption of biogas technology in the region will promote livestock intensification program and it will reduce by half fuelwood use by household. It was recommended that priority should be given to awareness campaigns on modern cook stoves and biogas technology in the region. County governments, national government ministries in charge of rural electrification and non-governmental organizations in the region should be the major stakeholders in creating awareness