1. Project overview:

Fuel wood is the most important source of household energy used in Benin. The consumption of fuel wood is estimated to 3.60 kg per habitant per day in rural area and 2.96 kg in urban. The total fuel wood consumption in the country is estimated to 8 million tonnes while the national annual production is evaluated at 5.5 million tonnes. This shows that there is an annual deficit of 2.5 million tons. Fuel wood collection is part of the causes of deforestation and forest degradation. Approximately 70.000 ha of forests were destroyed per year between 1990 and 2000 because of agricultural, hunting, pastoral and harvesting of wood purposes. Currently fuel wood production comes basically from dead wood collection, natural forests clearing products and fuel wood plantation. The production from fuel wood plantation has grown in recent years and is currently one of the main sources of supply for the urban centres. In south of Benin, the most important part of the fuel wood production is satisfy the needs of the important cities such as Cotonou, Lokossa, Porto-Novo. With the growing of population, the need of household energy has increased of .65%. To satisfy to this growing need, plantations and natural forests are over harvested. This leads to the disappearance of vegetation in the landscape. The NGO CeSaReN has prepared this reforestation project with the stakeholders. This project aims at reinforcing the productive capacity of fuel wood of the suburban landscape to satisfy the household needs of energy and improving the livelihood of of local populations. This project will also contribute to reduce the vulnerability of of the population and the ecosystem to the adverse effects of climate changes.

General objective:

Contribute to the sustainable management resources of the suburban landscape to improve incomes and the livelihood of populations.

Specific objectives:

The specific objectives are to:

• ensure the sustainable fuel wood production to households with limited resources,
• increase the income of the limited resources farmers through capacity enforcement,
• reducing vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change,

The strategy of the project:

The project strategy is based on the willingness of rural populations to engage in fuel wood planting to ensure household energy needs. Set up fuel wood plantation requires an initial investment of an amount of US $600 per ha. The majority of the rural population lacks this amount to start the plantation. This lack of means reduces socio-ecological capacity of the landscape to produce to fuel wood. This project aims at supporting farmers that have at least 3 ha of fallow land to produce fuel wood and timber. A memorandum of agreement between the NGO and producers will be arranged to provide an interest-free loan for establishment of the fuel wood plantation. This loan will be reimbursed after the sale of wood at the third year. The recovered capital will be loaned to new farmers to be reinvested for new fuel wood plantations.

Project area and target group:

The project will be implemented in the South of Benin in the villages surrounding the main cities: Cotonou, Lokossa and Porto Novo. Three hundred (300) limited resources farmers will be supported . The direct benefit of the project for the target group is to assure safety in domestic household energy and increase revenues from populations to reduce poverty and improve living standards. It will help to reduce pressure on forest resources and to reduce the vulnerability of populations and landscape to climate change.

Expected results:

The main results expected at the end of this project are:

Outcome 1: The local population capacity in the production, trade and distribution of fuel wood is reinforced,

Outcome 2: The livelihood of the local populations is improved

Outcome 3: The forest coverage rate of the landscape is increased

2. Budget and duration:

The amount needed for the implementation of project is estimated at US $ 320,000

3. Clusters to be allocated:

Cluster 4: Capacity Building

Cluster 5: On-the-Ground Activities

4. IPSI member organisations involved:

International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)

5. Contact person:

BOSSOU Bienvenu
Directeur ONG Cercle pour la Sauvegarde des Ressources Naturelles (ONG Ce.Sa.Re.N )
02 BP 268 Cotonou (Rep. du Bénin)
Tel (00229) 95 42 50 47,
E-mail: cesarenong@yahoo.fr or bmbc1957@gmail.com or lokossouo@yahoo.fr