As of 2023, around 6 million people in Ghana rely on wood fuel and tree charcoal for daily use, mainly for cooking, energy and income. Producing charcoal is an unsustainable practice and has led to deforestation and land degradation in Ghana. Therefore, the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies (MITDS), with the support of the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has developed an alternative to wood fuel and tree charcoal by converting savannah grass into charcoal.

As of 2023, there have been two successful pilot projects in Ghana’s savannah and upper-west regions. The potential of grass charcoal for improving livelihoods in Ghana is significant. The replacement helps reduce ecological risks like bushfires and deforestation, events that threaten food security, creating employment opportunities and opening new markets by selling surplus grass charcoal produced by local communities.

How Is Grass Charcoal Made?

Producers make grass charcoal by harvesting dried savannah grass and burning it to produce an organic carbonized matter. Making the grass briquettes requires a binding agent to ensure the organic carbonized matter sticks together. Instead of using income to buy a product that binds the organic matter together, the locals have “developed a cassava dough that works just as well.” Then, the mixture goes through a compressor, which creates the briquettes. Then, the briquettes dry and are ready for cooking or selling at the market. 

The Grass Economy

Grass charcoal creates employment and income opportunities throughout rural Ghana due to the commoditization of grass; citizens can sell grass to people who produce briquettes, creating a grass market and an alternative form of income for locals. As of 2023, 488 people have been trained by the MITDS and FFF to sustainably harvest grass, produce briquettes and market any excess surplus for sale.

To further improve marketability to increase profits from the sales for local Ghanaian entrepreneurs making this charcoal, the MITDS and FFF have also developed grass paper used to package the charcoal to improve recognition of the product and allow producers to sell their goods at a higher price, increasing their profit margins. Furthermore, this grass paper has been identified as a good substitute roofing material for rural homes, improving insulation in houses and keeping them cool and dry during the dry season. 

Another potential way grass charcoal can improve livelihoods in Ghana is through carbon offsetting. Every 100kg of grass charcoal burned saves two trees. According to the MITDS, if Ghana uses grass charcoal widely across the nation, it could potentially offset “over 44,000 tons of carbon a year.” In monetary terms, the potential estimated income from carbon offsetting would be around $394,000, which could be reinvested into the economy, further improving livelihoods in Ghana. 

Increased Food Security

Using grass charcoal is essential for increasing food security in Ghana. During the harsh dry seasons, savannah grass often fuels large-scale bushfires. These disasters can decimate crops, affecting food security and livelihoods for people who rely on farming as a form of subsistence. In 2015, the Northern Region lost more than $5 million to the bushfires that destroyed farms and property.

In 2019, 400 hectares of rice farms were destroyed by bushfires in the Upper East and Northeast regions. Furthermore, in 2022, farmers living in Walewale, a small town in Ghana in the West Mamprusi Municipal, lost their livelihoods and produce to bushfires. The monetization of grass has placed an economic value on the resource, creating demand for harvesting and selling grass, consequently providing more protection from bushfires, reducing the damage done to farmlands and improving food security in the region.

The potential of grass charcoal to improve livelihood in Ghana has vast implications for food security, employment and income. Since it’s a relatively new invention and has only been trialed in specific regions of Ghana, it needs to be scaled up to see the full-scale impact. One of the main issues with grass charcoal is its cost,$8.95 per 100kg, around double the price of wood charcoal, with the higher cost attributed to the extra ingredients needed, mainly the binding agent used to make the briquettes. Policymakers are considering “government incentives to drive its adoption” to address this problem. This strategy has been used in Ghana, most notably when they promoted gas stoves as an alternative to wood charcoal stoves. 

– Kishan Patel
Photo: Flickr