The Charcoal Trade

Preparation for making charcoal.

With an unemployment rate of over 14%, many Jamaicans cleverly scrape out a living. When I lived in Heartease, a small town in Saint Thomas, my host parents sold phone cards, single cigarettes, rolling papers, bag juice, ice and right from their patio. Every little bit helps this aging couple and I am afraid if they didn't have that little, they wouldn't have any income at all. My host dad made and sold charcoal just like the article explains.

This article tells a tale that we have experienced. Strangely enough, a bit close to home as we all trained in Hellshire, one of the areas mentioned and Saint Mary is the Parish I am currently living in.

Although I was well aware of charcoal making here in Jamaica, this article came somewhat as a surprise. To be honest I didn't realize the severity it had on Jamaica's environment. Burning of garbage and the “slash and burn” technique in agriculture, absolutely. But charcoal? No.

If the demand for charcoal continues and grows, so will local opportunists looking to create an income in a rather futile job market. But what is disturbing is the trend to export Jamaican charcoal to other countries. The tug of war between environmental conservation and economics continue.

(Left: Side of a hill in Saint Thomas that has recently been burned. The land is being cleared for a house. )


Article from the BBC:
Charcoal trade threatens Jamaica's protected forests