Eastern Africa is currently experiencing a drought caused by climate change, which has affected Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti. There are several causes of the dry spell, including the gradual decrease in forest cover, which has affected rain formation.
In sub-Saharan Africa, wood fuel and charcoal, which are primarily used for cooking purposes, are the most popular options when it comes to domestic energy supplies.
Lately, African countries have begun exploring fossil fuels to support the increasing demand for energy to drive industry and escape poverty.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation states that deforestation, which is caused by human activities like logging, the need for wood fuel, and plantation agriculture, remains a significant environmental problem which, threatens biodiversity.
Sub-Saharan Africa region has some of the world’s low income, least industrialised countries. Rising population in the region means more mouths to feed, while agricultural research has not been rolled out to boost food production in tandem with population growth.
In the low income African countries, the pressure on the land due to the increasing population is resulting in land degradation due to poor agronomy practices, which further compounds food insecurity.
There is an encroachment on existing forests in the region due to the growing population and the growing need to open up land for agricultural purposes. Below is a breakdown of the forest cover in eastern Africa countries:
Burundi: the country’s forested area stands at 2,796.4 square kilometres, which represents 10.9 per cent of the country’s total land area.
DR Congo: DRC’s forested area stands at 1,261, 552.4 square kilometres, which represents 55.6 per cent of the country’s total land area.
Kenya: East Africa’s largest economy has a forest cover of 36,110.9 square kilometres, which represents 6.3 per cent of the country’s total land area.
Rwanda: the country’s forest cover stands at 2,760.0 square kilometres, which represents 11.2 per cent of the country’s total land area.
Somalia: the country’s forest cover stands at 59,800 square kilometres, which represents 9.5 per cent of the country’s total land area.
Tanzania: the country’s forest cover currently stands at 457,450 square kilometres, which is 51.6 per cent of the country’s land area.
South Sudan: the country’s forest cover is 71,570 square kilometres, which represents 11.3 per cent of the country’s total land area.
Uganda: the country’s forest cover is 23,379 square kilometres, which represents 11.7 per cent of the country’s total land area.
Sudan: the country’s forest cover measures 183,595.5 square kilometres, which represents 9.8 per cent of the country’s total land area.
Ethiopia: the country’s forest cover is 170,685 square kilometres, which represents 15.1 per cent of the country’s land area.
Source: World Bank development indicators 2020
Disclaimer: Out of Afrika may not guarantee the accuracy of World Bank data as it may differ from most-recent national statistics at the time of publication
