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Forests, biomass use and poverty in Malawi

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  • Bandyopadhyay, Sushenjit
  • Shyamsundar, Priya
  • Baccini, Alessandro

Abstract

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa and has faced significant deforestation over the years. This paper seeks to examine the nature of the relationship between poverty and forests in Malawi. We try to answer three sets of questions: a) what is the extent of biomass available for meeting the energy needs of the poor in Malawi and how is this distributed? b) To what extent does fuelwood scarcity affect the welfare of the poor? And c) do households spend more time in fuelwood collection in response to scarcity? We answer these questions by matching household surveys with remote-sensing data.

Suggested Citation

  • Bandyopadhyay, Sushenjit & Shyamsundar, Priya & Baccini, Alessandro, 2011. "Forests, biomass use and poverty in Malawi," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(12), pages 2461-2471.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:70:y:2011:i:12:p:2461-2471
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.08.003
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    5. World Bank, 2007. "Poverty and Environment : Understanding Linkages at the Household Level," World Bank Publications - Reports 7744, The World Bank Group.
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    9. Narloch, Ulf & Bangalore, Mook, 2018. "The multifaceted relationship between environmental risks and poverty: new insights from Vietnam," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 87553, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    15. Harold L. W. Chisale & Paxie W. Chirwa & Folaranmi D. Babalola & Samuel O. M. Manda, 2021. "Perceived Effects of Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events on Forests and Forest-Based Livelihoods in Malawi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-15, October.
    16. Tsusaka, T. & Orr, A. & Msere, H. & Harris, D. & Rao, N. Vpr Ganga, 2018. "Fuelwood or Grain? A Conjoint Analysis of Trait Preferences for Pigeonpea among Smallholders in Southern Malawi," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277435, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    17. World Bank, 2007. "Poverty and Environment : Understanding Linkages at the Household Level," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6924, December.
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