Assessment of charcoal production on deforestation in selected agrarian communities of Oyo State, Nigeria

Charcoal production is considered as one of the major drives for deforestation .Its production is beginning to have negative impact on the environment. This study examined the assessment of charcoal production on deforestation in selected agrarian communities of Oyo State. Simple random sampling procedure was used to select 160 respondents from a sample frame of 320 charcoal producers in Saki West and Ibarapa North Local Government Areas. Interview guide and Focus Group Discussions were used to obtain data on charcoal producers’ socio-economic characteristics and their perception of deforestation. Primary data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and Chi-square. Findings revealed that 57.5% of the respondents were male, 32.5% were within the age group of 40-49 years, while 45.0% and 42.5% had primary and secondary school education, respectively. Also, 32.5 % of the respondents had 16 - 20 years’ experience in charcoal production. The study revealed that Vitellaria paradoxa (68.8%, 85.0%) , Anogeissus leiocarpus (77.5%,66.3%) and Bridelia ferruginea (58.8%,65.0%) were the most preferred tree species used for charcoal production in Ibarapa North and Saki West Local Government Areas respectively. Majority (73.8%) perceived that charcoal production is a serious threat to the environment. Chi-square result showed significant (p<0.05) associations between charcoal producers’ educational level (χ2 = 11.938, df = 3) and perceived effect of charcoal production on deforestation. The study concluded that charcoal production is one of the major causes of deforestation in the study area. It is therefore recommended that organize afforestation and reforestation programmes should be encourage and enlightenment campaign on the threat on charcoal programme on the environment.Keywords: Charcoal production, Deforestation, Agrarian Communities, Perceptio