Fuel wood scarcity: Women's perception, experience and adaptation strategies in Gwagwalada area council, Nigeria

摘要

Increased levels of fuelwood demands have resulted in an increase of scarcity cause by consistent disappearance of vegetal cover where the fuelwood is obtained. In this study women perception fuelwood scarcity, experience and adaptation strategies isbeing studied this is because women perception is very significant in planning and management of fuelwood because in this area they are more directly involve in the use and harvesting. This paper studied six different villages in Gwagwalada Area Councilof the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. Women were requested, through a survey, to provide various information on their perception of the scarcity of fuelwood, experiences and their adaptation strategies to situations. That majority of women in theall settlements opine that fuelwood is the major source of energy, recently more of their time is being taking away in search of fuelwood reducing the time they put into farming activities, the vegetation cover in the study area has been exploited of itsnatural plants due to fuelwood harvest and this remain one of the most exploited of the forest resources. Recently efficient stoves are being used mostly by those who use charcoal for cooking, in resent times women and children have to walk longer distance to get fuelwood. Energy in the study area is being stored in form of charcoal for use to enable them reserved the fetched fuelwood for money or in some cases sale. In a way of adapting women have to use plants straws and other plants for fuelwood. Artificial plants not native of this area are now planted to supplement the natural plants. Findings also shows that the is no differences in all the responses by respondents all the villages studied on their opinion on fuelwood scarcity and adaptation strategies at 0.05 and 0.01 alpha levels.