Popular Participation and Energy: PRA as a Mobilising Force in Energy Production
Despite large investments in rural energy projects in Africa, deforestation continues to be a major problem. This article assesses the macro view of fuelwood and energy practices in Africa, with particular attention to Kenya. It considers ways in which PRA can be used to ease resource degradation in marginal ecozones by structuring popular participation, systematising rural information systems, and helping communities develop their own resource management plans, including energy needs. Two brief case studies from Kenya illustrate this process.