Study on Appraisal of Per Capita Consumption of Charcoal and Firewood as an Alternative Energy Sources for Domestic Usage in Keffi Nasarawa State Nigeria

The most basic way to use forest resources is to use their byproducts (firewood and charcoal) in our homes. Africa has suffered greatly from a lack of energy supply. In recent years, Nigeria's electricity supply has been limited. Gas, kerosene and LNG are exorbitant that poor people cannot afford. Poverty is increasing, particularly in a mostly rural community in Nigeria as well as Africa, as a result of bad leadership, leaving common people with no resources to rely on except forest resources, where women and children go to bushes. This study examines the per capita consumption of firewood and charcoal on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. The use of fuelwood is determined by consumption rates. To statistically validate the rate of fuelwood consumption, regression analyses were used. The results show that there are high rates of consumption per capita per day (charcoal 0.20 kg, firewood 0.09 kg), per capita per week (charcoal 9.9 kg, firewood 4.48 kg), per capita per month (charcoal 181.9 kg, firewood 82.5 kg), and per capita per year (charcoal 26,937 kg, firewood 12,042 kg). This shows that people are destroying forests on a daily basis and altering the natural systems of the environment for the sake of fuelwood consumption.