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<b>Can homegardens help save forests in Bangladesh?</b><br>
<i>Domestic biomass fuel consumption patterns and implications for
forest conservation in south-central Bangladesh </i><br>
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://tinyurl.com/p6cvqxm">http://tinyurl.com/p6cvqxm</a><br>
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ABSTRACT<br>
We conducted an exploratory survey in south-central Bangladesh to
realize the contribution of homegardens to household domestic
biomass fuel consumption. Households were placed into categories
based on their land holdings. A total of thirty households were
interviewed to understand their domestic fuel consumption pattern as
well as the role played by homegardens in meeting their biomass fuel
requirements. This study suggested that the majority of the
households in the area rely extensively on homegardens to meet their
domestic fuel requirements. 58% of the households biomass fuel were
drawn from homegardens, followed by neighbours (16%), markets (12%)
and from public/fallow land (14%). 47 species were identified from
the homegardens that were used by the respondents as fuel. Fuelwood
was a major type of biomass fuel used by the households,
contributing to about 56% of households total biomass fuel
consumption, followed by dried leaves (21%), dung cake/sticks (14%),
and crop residues (6%). As homegardens were found to provide a
valuable alternative source of biomass fuel, it was concluded that a
rich homegarden system near forest regions should be supported in
order to reduce pressure on the country’s remaining forests.
Governments can facilitate this by granting marginal households
access to trees in fallow lands, as well as public places including
roads, railways and river banks. <br>
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Jeff<br>
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