Wood Based Biomass Fuel Consumption in the Upper West Region of Ghana: Implications for Environmental Sustainability

Abstract: Households' fuel consumption decisions are affected by a number of factors. But the choice of fuel can affect environmental sustainability, especially where wood based biomass fuel is preferred. This paper examines households' fuel consumption decisions with emphasis on biomass and its implications on environmental sustainability. In all, 200 heads of households were selected through a multistage sampling procedure. The binary logit model was used to examine the factors influencing households' decision to use wood based biomass fuel for their cooking needs. The major factors influencing such decisions are years of completed school by household head, household size, price of the fuel and household income. Given that the removal of wood based biomass from the land results in very negative consequences in the form of soil erosion, reduced moisture and soil nutrients, it is recommended that alternative livelihoods be found for the people to both help them move up the energy ladder to cleaner fuels and also increase their incomes.