Cooking fuel choices among refugee communities in Lobule Refugee Settlement, Koboko District

Abstract

Uganda hosts more than 1 million refugees from the neighboring countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, who seek protection from famine, conflict and insecurity. Due to this high number of immigrants, there is an increased demand for biomass material for cooking and heating purposes. This in turn puts pressure on the available forests and woodlands as the increasing population depends mostly on the easily accessible sources of fuel such as firewood and wood for making charcoal both for sale and consumption. The energy needs of the refugee households have to be assessed for proper planning and allocation of resources to meet such needs. This research therefore was conducted in Lobule settlement in Koboko district with the primary objective of assess the cooking fuel types and cooking systems used among the refugee communities. The findings from the research showed most families using firewood as the primary cooking and heating option though some use charcoal and crop residue to some lesser extent. Furthermore, most families reported to be using clean energy technology for example the use of efficient cook stoves. Households also reported variation in meals everyday due to variation in fuel acquisition. However, households also reported some challenges in the fuel use and acquisition for example burning of houses, suffocation due to smoke among others. Some solutions were suggested for the mentioned challenges for example improving cooking technologies like use of improved cook stoves, the use of renewable energy sources like briquettes, and proper ventilation of the houses.