Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

DOMESTIC FUEL ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND DEGRADATION OF FOREST IN RURAL ECOSYSTEM

M.R. Mahananda, B.P. Mohanty, H.B. Mahananda and K. Pradhan

Abstract

The pressure arises on forest due to greater dependence of rural community for their daily domestic purpose which have been studied in Kuchinda semi town of district Samba lpur, Orissa where 900/ of people earn their living from non primary economic activities. The fuel consumption structure reveals an element of rural bias. Since the domestic sector derives 52.46% of its energy used for cooking and heating from biomass sources. Firewood is the only fuel used by all income groups and almost all occupations. Other traditional fuels such as dung cake, agricultural wastes and leaf litter are used in this area with different degrees of dominance in various occupation groups and income classes. The inequality of income distribution is reflected in the fuel consumption structure of the rich and poor with greater dependence on non-biomass in the high-income group and biomass in the low-income group. Family size is an important determinant of biomass fuel use.