Fuelwood is still the predominant source of primary energy in most of the developing world. It is estimated that only 10 % of wood removals in Africa are used for industrial roundwood, while the rest is used as fuelwood. Africa accounts

for 33 % of the global fuelwood removals and only 5 % of the global industrial wood removals (FAO 2011). In Ethiopia for example, 93 % of households use open fires for cooking, while burning firewood, charcoal, crop residue and animal dung (Friends of the Earth 2010).

It is predicted that by 2030 biomass energy will still account for more than 75 % of total residential energy in Africa and that the region will have surpassed China and South Asia in terms of quantities of fuelwood used. More than 500 million people in Africa were relying on biomass as a primary source of energy in 2000 and it is projected that this number will rise to more than 800 million by 2030 as seen in Table 9.1 (IEA 2002, ex Arnold et al. 2003).

The high rate of fuelwood use in developing countries as described above can be linked to poverty and the cost of alternative fuels. In many countries fuelwood collection is the only affordable energy option and can also serve as a source of income for the poor. Despite the link between fuelwood use and income, it is interesting to note that fuelwood shortages and associated increases in collection efforts are not seen as priority problems amongst rural people and that they are more concerned with aspects related to income, health and food security (Arnold et al. 2003). It is therefore necessary to look at how people combine fuelwood and other energy sources in areas where there is a transition from traditional fuelwood to alternative energy, to understand new energy adoption patters and processes.