Who Wants to Adopt Sustainable Charcoal Production?: Determinants and Willingness to Adopt Sustainable Practices Among Small-scale Producers in Quezon Province, Philippines

Abstract

Charcoal and wood fuel supply energy needs in both urban and rural communities in the world. In the Philippines, charcoal is used in both commercial and residential in the provinces of Southern Tagalog the National Capital Region (NCR). However, charcoal-making is also one of the main threats to the natural resources and environment in the Philippines. Thus, there is a need to develop a sustainable charcoal production process that could meet the demand without decreasing forest and tree cover. This paper describ present charcoal production practices of households and their willingness to adopt sustainable charcoal practices. It surveyed 85 active charcoal producers in the municipality of Mulanay, Quezon Province, Philippines, to elicit response and document the local practice. An ordered logit model was used to analyse factors that could influence willingness to adopt sustainable charcoal practices.Despite the unprofitable and inefficient charcoal practices, the present practice continues. Under the scenario of increased profits realized through minimum capital requirement, respondents were willing to develop and adopt sustainable practice of charcoal production.