February 20, 2026

Biocharcoal production: How women in Senegal are leading the way forward

Photo: Marie Meloche

Not too long ago, women across Senegal’s Kedougou region had never heard of biocharcoal – few knew that alternatives to traditional charcoal and firewood were even available. And yet now women are actively involved in biocharcoal production and are, in many ways, leading the way forward.

What caused that change?

From 2020 to 2025, our Building Community Resilience to Climate Change project worked with community members on the challenges that they had identified. Through this project, these local leaders received training and were able to gain the technical knowledge they needed to produce biocharcoal themselves.

To get the biocharcoal production process started, the women would gather straw and clay – which helps in more than one way. Not only do they need this straw for the biocharcoal, but this reduces the amount of dry straw that could fuel bushfires.

Once the materials have been gathered, the women take what they learned through the Building Community Resilience project and produce biocharcoal briquettes – seen here.

The process is complex, but the benefits are incredible. Its natural production is an added bonus, as no chemical products are used when producing biocharcoal. And it’s eco-friendly, as no deforestation is needed to gather the raw materials.

Although biocharcoal production is not yet sufficient to completely replace traditional charcoal or firewood, the progress is obvious – and the women who took part in this work have confirmed that biocharcoal is just as good for their daily use.

The Building Community Resilience to Climate Change project wrapped last year, but the increased awareness of biocharcoal is sure to have a lasting impact. We’re grateful to the women who got involved in this work, and to the partners who helped make this possible – including Global Affairs Canada.