Recently Uganda has outlined its national strategy for bioenergy to contribute to increasing the renewable energy mix from 4 to 16% by 2017. Alongside the energy challenge, the country faces a number of other difficult tasks including loss of ecosystems and systemic low rural employment. Ugandan officials have pointed out that in addition to serving as a new source of renewable energy, growing crops for bioenergy can help tackle unemployment and bring more cash to often impoverished rural communities. At the same time, biofuel production could reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, and help tackle serious energy shortages. These benefits, of course, can only be harnessed if safeguards are implemented, for example to protect forests as the country has already lost 65% of its forests over the past 40 years.

Year: 2012

From collection: Biofuels Vital Graphics - Powering Green Economy

Cartographer: Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal