Uganda’s forestry or tree cover is facing unpresented pressure toward depletion, partly due to unsustainable biomass energy demand in forms of firewood and charcoal.

Approximately 95% of East Africans use biomass energy for cooking. We are developing a “green” or sustainable YAZINI firewood and charcoal from bamboo, whose performance is indistinguishable from hardwood products.

The bamboo plant presents various desirable attributes, such as, fat-growing, continuous harvesting with no need for replanting, and afforestation with climate change mitigation, among many.

Direct use of bamboo as a cooking fuel has not caught on due to its fast energy-releasing propensity, which is inconsistent with local simmering cooking habits; YAZINI overcomes this limitation. In this talk, we will present our product development progress and near-term plans toward commercializing the fuel.