Measuring the Impacts of Illegal Charcoal

Part I of the MCHF documentary film series depicts how charcoal-led deforestation is forcing Malawi towards an environmental crisis

The reliance on wood fuels for cooking and heating is steadily plodding the population of Malawi towards a steep precipice. Today, three out of four urban households rely on charcoal — the single most significant driver of forest loss in Malawi — as a main source of cooking energy. As a result of rapid population growth and urbanization, the national demand for charcoal and firewood have exceeded the country’s capacity to provide a sustainable supply. Malawi needs to implement innovative solutions that balance citizens’ energy needs and proper management and utilization of forestry resources.

To reduce dependency on wood fuels — and specifically charcoal — and conserve forest cover in Malawi, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) co-funded Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests in Malawi, MCHF.

MCHF is reducing the demand for unsustainable wood fuel by increasing the adoption of alternative cooking energies and fuel-efficient cooking technologies, increasing sustainable wood fuel supply, and strengthening Malawi’s business and regulatory enabling environment. In this three-part documentary series, MCHF examines the causes and solutions to this massive problem.

Watch Part 1 of the MCHF documentary series below.