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Firewood from on-farm tree pruning and biochar-producing cooking systems

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To manage the challenges associated with the heavy reliance on fuelwood for cooking among rural farmers in Kenya, a systematic package of innovations addressing both sustainable tree supply and efficient/healthy consumption is required. On farms, cuttings taken from the pruning of multiuse woody plants, such as fruit trees, can provide households with an affordable and convenient source of firewood. Agroforestry or agriculture with trees for small farms may be carried out in different ways, where trees are planted along boundaries, as live fences, intercropped with crops or pasture or in woodlots. A study carried out in Kibugu village in Embu County showed that 40 % of the farmers depended exclusively on agroforestry for firewood supply (Njenga et al., 2017).

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