3.2 Fuelwood in rural energy systems. Fuelwood plays a major role in supplying energy to the rural masses and the poorest groups in the towns. ... Domestic requirements, essentially for cooking food and heating the homes, usually account for the biggest percentage of overall energy consumption in the developing countries.

Why do developing countries use wood?

For the poor in developing countries, both urban as well as rural, wood is usually the principal source of energy for cooking food and for keeping warm. In these countries an estimated 86 percent of all the wood consumed annually is used as fuel.

Why is fuelwood such an important source of energy in the developing world?

It represents the only domestically available and affordable source of energy. Private households' cooking and heating with woodfuels represents one third of the global renewable energy consumption, making wood the most decentralized energy in the world. ... Wood energy is also an important emergency backup fuel.