Maximizing Timber Waste in Swaziland

TechnoServe partnered with Montigny Investments on an Energy and Environment Partnership grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland to investigate the best uses for biomass available in the 55,000 hectare Forest Stewardship Council Certified Usutu Forest.

The project came at an important time both locally and regionally as Swaziland finalized the country’s first Renewable Energy Policy and the region prioritized solutions to the mounting energy constraints. The study closely examined socioeconomic and environmental impacts on the forest and its 26 surrounding chiefdoms, which were experiencing very high unemployment. The study aimed to facilitate the creation of a new employment sector to produce a sustainable biomass product with the potential to improve livelihoods in the local communities and the Southern African region.