An assessment of the fuelwood situation in Bushenyi and Mbarara districts, Uganda

The main focus of this thesis is the current fuelwood situation in the districts of Bushenyi and Mbarara, Uganda. Its assessment comprises identification and analysis of the cause-effect relationships within the fuelwood industry. By its very nature, fuelwood availability has close links with: various sthysical, demographic, social, economic, financial, political, technical and other factors. Singly or jointly, these have already engendered fuelwood shortages and problems in Bushenyi and Mbarara Districts and Uganda at large. They are also central to programmes targeted at realising self-sufficiency in fuelwood production and supply. Thus, fuelwood scarcities are considered as one of a variety of disamenities prevailing in the districts of Bushenyi and Mbarara and Uganda as a whole. Redress of these environmental undesirables consists of a multi-pronged approach involving all the people at both local and national levels. In so doing, this strategy is capable of solving more than fuelwood problems at a time and in a given situation. Sustained per capita fuelwood sufficiency is one significant key to improved rural development and better living standards.