Green Charcoal Uptake as a Source of Sustainable Livelihood in Refugee Settlements in Northern Uganda

The global economy continues to consume more natural resources to sustain livelihood and this is worse for settlements covered by the influx of refugees. Alternative cooking fuel, such as electricity, gas, biogas, ethanol, and solar, continues to be costly and unsustainable to both the refugee and host communities in Northern Uganda. This study focuses on green charcoal or briquette production from agricultural residues as an alternative to firewood and black charcoal. Green charcoal has the potential to contribute to the livelihood of the vulnerable population, thus lowering deforestation, reducing smoke-induced health issues, as well as create local employment. Data was collected in Northern (Gulu City, Adjumani, and Lamwo districts) using surveys, participant observation, photos, and in-depth interviews. Social Package for scientific studies (SPSS 23) and Smart partial least squares (PLS 0.4) were used for quantitative data in order to test the hypotheses, while content analysis was also used for qualitative data to assess the perceptions of green charcoal producers. The findings show that there was a positive and significant relationship between the eco-friendly innovations, income level, food production, environmental protection, job creation, and sustainable livelihood. These findings describe a model for developing green charcoal uptake through sustainable livelihood. The model can also predict uptake of green charcoal as an alternative source of cooking fuel that can sustain both the refugees and host communities. Therefore, further research on green charcoal uptake, as green charcoal producers using local methods, must impact on the sustainable livelihood.