Factors influencing household’s charcoal consumption in Montserrado County, Liberia
Paper Details
Factors influencing household’s charcoal consumption in Montserrado County, Liberia
Abstract
In sub-Saharan African Countries, charcoal is still preferred as the main source of energy use by the majority, and its importance is not only as a source of energy but also for generating employment and income among its producers. The current study intends to look into factors related to household charcoal consumption in Montserrado County, Liberia. Specifically, the study aims to assess socio-economic factors affecting household charcoal consumption and to identify the challenges associated with charcoal consumption. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design whereby data were collected once from 386 respondents who are charcoal consumers in Montserrado County. Quantitative data retrieved from the questionnaires were analyzed by using SPSS version 20 in which descriptive and inferential statistics were determined. Results from the multiple linear regression analysis showed that factors such as education level, number of meals, price of charcoal and household size were statistically significantly associated with household charcoal consumption in the study area. Furthermore, the high price of charcoal, low quality of charcoal and dirtiness of homes were the top three challenges affecting charcoal consumption in the study area. The study recommends the government formulate policies for improving accessibility to other alternative energy sources such as gas and electricity affordably and reliably to encourage inter-energy switching among households to ensure sustainable per capita consumption of charcoal.
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Emmanuel Lewis, Greyson Z. Nyamoga (2022), Factors influencing household’s charcoal consumption in Montserrado County, Liberia; IJB, V21, N5, November, P65-76
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