The economic contribution of forest resource use to rural livelihoods in Tigray,Northern Ethiopia

By explicitly incorporating forest environmental products (FEPs) in household income accounting, this paper examines the role and significance of FEPs in household income and in rural poverty and inequality. As most conventional household surveys do not incorporate income from environmental sources, substantial gaps exist in our understanding of the actual functioning of rural economies and the extent of rural poverty and inequality. Using data from 360 randomly sampled rural households from 12 villages in Tigray (northern Ethiopia), we measure forest environmental resource use with a monetary yardstick and compares the value of FEPs with other household economic activities. We found that products from environmental sources represent an important component in rural livelihoods. Our analyses indicate that in the study area income from forest environmental sources occupies the second largest share in average total household income next to crop income. Poverty and inequality analyses show that incorporating forest environmental incomes in household accounts significantly reduces measured rural poverty and income inequality. Therefore, we suggest that sustainable forest management schemes should be adopted to maintain and enhance the flow of economic benefits to the surrounding communities without damaging the natural resource system.     

Farm woodlots in rural Rwanda: purposes and determinants

The development of farm woodlots as an alternative source of livelihood for smallholder farmers in diverse biophysical and socio-economic conditions is a challenging issue in developing countries, such as Rwanda, where the majority of the population relies on subsistence farming. There is a need to understand why and when farmers decide to grow trees and woodlots on their farms. The objective of this study was to analyse the determinants and the purposes that enhance the propensity to grow woodlots in low, medium and high altitude regions of Rwanda. Necessary information for this study came from a survey of 480 households across these regions. The results showed regional variations in the determinants of woodlot farming, demonstrating the importance of not extrapolating the results between regions. Pooled data across regions indicated that age of the householder, number of salaried household members, farm size, travel distance to fuelwood sources and household location in medium forest cover region had positive significant effects on the propensity to grow farm woodlots. In contrast, household location in low forest cover region, ownership of livestock and monthly frequency of purchasing fuelwood were inversely related to the presence of farm woodlots. Many households planted eucalyptus woodlots for economic reasons, not for environmental purposes. Livestock and crop production were more attractive to rural households than woodlot farming. The findings of the study can be used by policymakers and extension services in order to promote sustainable land use practices by focusing on the challenges of competing land uses, farm size, unemployment, dependence on forests for fuelwood supply and subsistence farming.     

Non-timber forest products and household incomes in Bonga forest area,southwestern Ethiopia

We identified the major non-timber forest products （NTFPs）, their contributions to household incomes, and the determinants influenc-ing engagement of households in using NTFPs in the Bonga forest area of Gimbo and Decha Districts of Kaffa Zone, southwest Ethiopia. Six Kebeles （the lowest administrative unit in Ethiopia） were sampled from two Districts and 150 households were randomly sampled using propor-tional-to-size techniques based on the number of farm households in each Kebele. Secondary data were collected from and focus group discussions were conducted with selected individuals. The farmers diversified liveli-hood activities such as crop and livestock production, collection of NTFPs and off-farm activities. NTFPs played a significant role in household incomes. The contribution from the major NTFPs （forest coffee, honey and spices） accounted for 47% of annual household in-come. The role of NTFPs was influenced by a number of factors. Vari-ables including being native to the area （＋）, total land holding （＋）, pos-session of livestock （＋） and access to extension （＋） significantly affected forest coffee production. Age of household head （-）, land holding （＋） and distance of the market from the residence （-） significantly affected honey production. Size of landholding （＋）, distance to market （-） and distance of the forest from the residence （-） were significant variables determining the NTFP incomes derived by the households. Attention is needed in the design of policies and strategies for the well-being of households to the contribution of NTFPs to local incomes and the variables that affect the collection of NTFPs must be considered.     

Household participation in Payments for Ecosystem Services: A case study from Mozambique

The success of the PES programme in developing countries depends on the active participation and contribution of rural households. This paper investigates the factors influencing rural households' decision to participate in the PES programme in the N'hambita Community in Sofala Province, Mozambique, based on data collected through a survey of 115 households, using factor analysis and multiple regressions. Factor analysis has shown that the main factors influencing the household decision to participate in the programme are latent variables labelled as economic benefits, followed by social inclusion and forest conservation accounting, with 31%, 19% and 14% of the total variance respectively. Multinomial logistic regression demonstrates that the gender, marital status, household age, the educational level of the head, land area, distance from the project centre and source of income are important variables in explaining the level of participation of the three factors.     

Can community forestry contribute to household income and sustainable forestry practices in rural area? A case study from Tshapey and Zariphensum in Bhutan

Community forestry is an emerging success model of state–community partnership for forest management and poverty reduction. Bhutan's initial experience of forest management by user group is promising, but merits further study on how community forests have experienced with harvesting and income generation consistent with national forest policy. This study quantifies whether community forestry contribute to household income with equitable products and income distribution and gender inclusive participation; and community forests are managed applying the principles of sustainable harvest without compromising regeneration and productivity. We applied a combination of social and ecological methods using household interview and forest sampling plots. Our findings revealed that community forestry contributes to household income through harvesting and marketing of large trees, and non-wood forest products where markets are accessible. Household income, however, vary widely between rich and poor households with former capitalizing on commercial and latter on subsistence products. Timber harvesting is consistent with the principles of sustainable harvest without altering species composition, regeneration and productivity. To narrow income inequality, pro-poor approach to community forestry needs to target poor households with income diversification activities and market accessibility. The promising results are context-driven and warrant consolidation from other community forests experiencing harvest in Bhutan.     

Households’ Choices of Fuelwood Sources: Implications for Agroforestry Interventions in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania

Fuelwood is the main source of energy for various household uses in many developing countries; and management of tree resources where it is obtained can be best undertaken when household choice patterns are understood. In this paper, households’ decision to obtain fuelwood for domestic consumption as influenced by household and fuelwood source characteristics is analyzed using a multinomial probit regression model. Data is obtained from 254 randomly selected household drawn from Mbarali district, south-western Tanzania. Results indicate that households are heavily dependent on natural forests for household energy provision and that the choice to obtain fuelwood from the forest, farm or market depends, among other factors on the availability of preferred fuelwood tree species at these sources. Acacia tortilis, Brachystegia spp. and Faidherbia albida are the significantly preferred tree species and hence affect the decision of where to obtain fuelwood. This revelation highlights the pressure applied to surrounding forests as well as to the aforementioned tree species which require immediate management interventions. The gender of the household head and whether the household lives in peri-urban or rural areas also influence choice of fuelwood source. Promotion of tree planting and on-farm management of tree species similar to preferred species found in natural forests is recommended. To the extent that consumer preferences are likely to change over time, further research using panel datasets is necessary to unravel inter-temporal preferences for fuelwood sources.     

Access to Microloans for Households with Forest Property Collateral in China

About 100 million rural households in China have obtained forest property certification, which could serve as collateral to help households obtain microloans intended for forest management and investment. However, it is still difficult for households to receive these loans using forests as collateral. The strong demand for loans from the Rural Credit Cooperative cannot be met. This paper attempts to understand microloan access behavior using 241 respondents in three typical Chinese counties. It argues that the loan is determined by both the demand from the household as well as the supply from banks. Logistic regression models are used to investigate what might affect accessibility to households’ microloans. Household characteristics like age, education, income, forest characteristics as well as the regional variation of loans are used as explanatory variables. Age, education and income as well as the perception of the bank services are found statistically significant. Other findings include that only half of the respondents who received loans supposed for forest management but use for other purposes. Most importantly, it is found that joint-loan arrangement is more suitable for small-scale households and direct-loan and guaranteed-loans are better match larger property size. A simplified loan-process and discount points would lower transaction costs and improve rural households’ accessibility to microloan using of forest property collateral.     

Impact of alternative livelihood interventions on household welfare: Evidence from rural Ethiopia

Livelihoods of a large number of households in Ethiopia depend on environmental resources. On the other hand, excessive reliance of households on environmental resources for their sustenance has already lead to high rates of deforestation and forest degradation in Ethiopia. A project was set out to provide alternative livelihood activities in order to improve the welfare of vulnerable families who derive their livelihoods mainly from selling firewood and charcoal. The project provided support to women groups to engage in income generating activities that create alternative means of livelihoods. This paper assesses the impacts of participating in alternative livelihood activities on household welfare and environmental protection in rural Ethiopia. The paper uses data from cross-sectional survey involving 450 sample households to examine the difference in household welfare between project participants and non-participants using propensity score matching and inverse probability weighting estimator with regression adjustment. Empirical results show that participation in alternative livelihood activities has contributed to increment in total grain production, increased household income and adoption of natural resources management technologies. Project households consumed more diverse food across food groups and earned an extra $35 per month from local market sales of tree and fruit seedlings. The result was robust and consistent across models. The findings support the notion that new streams of income generating activities can lead to improvements in household's well-being as well as reduction in environmental degradation.     

The significance of dry forest income for livelihood resilience: The case of the pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in the drylands of southeastern Ethiopia

There is a growing interest to take into account dry forests in planning sustainable development in arid and semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa. A mixed quantitative and qualitative research design involving various data collection tools was employed to examine the significance of dry forest income and associated conditioning factors in the context of pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems of southeastern Ethiopia. Income from livestock and dry forests were the first and second most important components of the total household income. Dry forest income accounts 34.8% and 35.2% of the total household income and 38% and 46% of the total household cash income in the Liben and Afdher Administrative Zones of Somali National Regional State, respectively. It was the largest income compared to all other incomes added together for 45% of the respondents. Most notably, for very poor households, dry forest income contributes up to 63% of their total income. Dry forest income levels varied significantly with occupation (P < 0.05), pastoralists generating more income than agro-pastoralists. Dry forest income enables 24% of households to remain above the poverty line, and it reduces income disparity by 13.7%. Moreover, dry forest income has become increasingly important for households' ex-ante risk and ex-post drought coping strategies. The number of youths per household (P < 0.001), access to extension services (P < 0.001), and being member of a cooperative (P < 0.05) significantly affected dry forest income levels in both Zones. Findings of this study could apply to similar dryland eco-regions in the Horn of Africa and contribute to enhance promotion of sustainable management of dry forests for integrated livelihood adaptation, biodiversity conservation and combating desertification. Further research is needed to quantify the contribution dry forests make to livelihoods through livestock production and to develop options that will guide policy making process to generate additional economic incentives for communities and countries to be engaged in sustainable management and use of dry forests.     

森林绿色GDP核算体系分析探讨

简述了森林绿色GDP核算是怎样的一个核算制度后,分析了森林绿色GDP的国内外进展,以及森林绿色GDP的核算研究现状.如森林资源价值核算理论与方法研究,森林的各项环境服务价值核算研究,区域森林资源价值核算研究,森林资源核算纳入国民经济核算体系的研究等.通过对现行森林绿色GDP核算存在的森林环境核算指标体系尚未建立、森林核算中会计核算与统计核算不协调、森林绿色GDP核算制度不健全、森林环境价位的核算及指标体系等问题进行分析后认为,必须尽快完善森林资源价值的核算;将森林的会计、专业统计核算与绿色GDP核算相互协调;建立统一的森林绿色GDP核算制度;建立适用的森林环境核算指标体系;完善森林环境价值的核算方法等.以此推动我国森林绿色GDP核算体系逐步走向成熟.     

Determinants of engagement in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) business activities: A study on worker households in the forest areas of Daxinganling and Xiaoxinganling Mountains,northeastern China

This study used data of 128 worker households that possessed woodland resources and owned by seven forestry bureaus (counties) belonging to the forest areas of Daxinganling and Xiaoxinganling Mountains to analyze the behavioral characteristics of worker households that engaged in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) business activities. A logistic regression model was utilized to analyze factors that influenced worker households to engage in NTFPs business activities. The study found the following: NTFPs collection activities had become the primary NTFPs business activity engaged in by the worker households in the forest areas of Daxinganling and Xiaoxinganling Mountains because of the relatively small investment needed as well as fewer production and operating risks. The engagement of worker households in the forest areas of Daxinganling and Xiaoxinganling Mountains in NTFPs business activities was still in a preliminary stage. Whether or not worker households engaged in NTFPs business activities was not affected by household head or household manpower characteristics; rather, worker households were more willing to engage in NTFPs business activities when the households had bank deposits, homes were close to the woodlands, the woodlands had good quality soil, and the households received social services.     

我国重点国有林区改革对职工家庭间收入不平等的影响

利用我国3个重点国有林区24个林业局1 454户职工家庭微观调查数据,通过极大似然估计法和最小二乘法估计国有林区各项改革对职工家庭间收入不平等的影响。研究发现,国有林区职工家庭间不平等程度不断加剧,而在国有林区推行的各项改革对不平等的加剧有显著影响。其中,市场化手段组织林业生产这项改革实施时间每增加1年,林业局职工家庭间收入差距就增加8元;参与森林资源承包管护改革户数的比例每增加1个百分点,林业局职工家庭间收入差距增加13元;加工企业转制比例每增加1个百分点,林业局职工家庭间收入差距增加2元;一次性安置富余职工也显著提高了林业局职工家庭间收入差距,但养老负担显著降低了职工家庭间收入差距。因此,在推行以改进效率为目标取向的市场化改革过程中,政府需要出台相应的配套政策,尤其是要扶持和帮助林区贫困弱势群体,以避免不平等程度加剧。     

Economic dependence on mangrove forest resources for livelihoods in the Sundarbans,Bangladesh

This study examines the importance of mangrove resources to the livelihoods of people living beside the world's largest contiguous mangrove forest. Median annual household income was USD 1122, based on household survey data from 264 households in six villages adjacent to the Sundarbans, in Khulna, Bangladesh. Forest income represented 74% and 48% of the total household income for the lower and middle income households respectively, but just 23% for higher income households. Although higher income households derived a larger absolute income from forest resources than the lower income households, the addition of forest income to household income reduces measured income inequality by 27% suggesting that forests offer a more egalitarian source of income than most other sources at the study sites. Thus reducing forest income as a result of reduced access to forest resources would greatly affect the livelihood outcomes for the rural poor and increase wealth discrepancies among households near the forest margins.     

European forest accounting: general concepts and Austrian experiences

Within the European Union there exist three different frameworks for forest accounting at the national level. For purposes of the national accounts, the regulations of the European System of Integrated Economic Accounts (ESA) have to be observed. They require a distinction between forestry and logging and provide specific guidelines for the valuation of standing timber. In recognition of the special character of forests and forestry production, two satellite accounts are devoted to forestry: the Economic Accounts for Forestry (EAF) and the European Framework for Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting for Forests (IEEAF). Although they were designed as complementary to the national accounts and refer to the same basic methodologies, the guidelines for forest accounting provided by the three manuals are not fully compatible. Just recently, a further integration and harmonization of the concepts for forest accounting has been proposed. Austria has implemented the valuation of the increment as an output of forestry as requested by ESA and produces the EAF tables on a regular basis. The possibilities for extending forest accounting to natural resource accounts for standing timber and the IEEAF have been investigated in terms of pilot studies. The Austrian experiences and results exemplify the problems and possible solutions associated with the adoption of the different European schemes. Data deficits and valuation issues restrict the significance of respective results to some degree, especially as regards forestry-specific extensions of the accounting schemes.     

Economic dependence on forest resources: A case from Dendi District, Ethiopia

This paper examines variation in dependence on forest resources among rural households in Chilimo, Ethiopia, and the income-equalizing effects of such resources. Data were collected through a systematic questionnaire survey of 102 households, randomly selected from two peasant associations in the area. Forest income contributed 39% of the average household income, roughly equal to agriculture, which contributed 40%. Forest income was more important than all other income sources combined for the poorest 40% of households and contributed more to household income than agriculture for 65% of households. While forest income represents 59% of the total household income for the poorest quintile, the contribution drops to 34% for the wealthiest quintile. On the other hand, the rich households derive a larger absolute income from forest resources than the poor households. Forest resources have an important income-equalizing potential among the rural households. Reduced access to forest resources would greatly affect the welfare of the rural population and increase wealth differentiation among rural households in the study area.     

Prospects of forest road infrastructure development in northwest Russia with proven Nordic solutions

This paper analyses the situation with forest roads in Russia in the context of harvesting, transportation, forest management and forest fire prevention. Russia harvests less than 30% of its allowable harvest potential. Forest fires burn volumes which are equal to half of the annual harvest. One reason is the insufficient density and quality of forest roads. The average density of roads is less than 1.5 m/ha, which is one-tenth of that in Nordic countries. We argue that better access to the forests, utilizing the technology transfer of the proven Nordic forest road solutions (NFRS) under local conditions, might have important effects on the strategy-making processes in forest infrastructure development in northwest Russia. For this purpose, A'WOT analysis is proposed to identify the related strategies and assign priorities to those strategies. According to this study undertaken in Karelia, where NFRS were introduced over 10 years ago, the top priorities regarding the relevant threats are the lack of legal framework under forest land leasing and the low profitability of forestry. The results indicate that the NFRS are viewed positively for the Russian conditions. The forest road market has virtually unlimited opportunities for growth. Together with a favourable policy in terms of national and regional development programmes it can support forest infrastructure development. Forest fire prevention, multiple uses of woodlands, and different environmental service markets are seen as potential opportunities for NFRS. However, the results also indicate that there is substantial uncertainty and scepticism concerning how such markets would be of benefit to leaseholders who would like to adopt intensive forestry.     

Socio-economic factors influencing household dependence on forests and its implication for forest-based climate change interventions§

In most African countries, forest-based climate change intervention initiatives such as nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) and national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs) are widely accepted. This is mainly due to the fact that they are relevant in addressing multiple challenges associated with rural development, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and sustainable forest management. However, there are concerns about the implications of strategic and practical steps taken in this context on forest-dependent communities. Thus, there is need to reconcile local socio-economic vulnerabilities and forest-based climate change intervention initiatives. In the current study, socio-economic factors influencing households’ dependence on forest resources and associated implications on climate change interventions were investigated. Proportionate stratified random sampling was used to select 366 households from forest-based rural communities in Vhembe District of South Africa. A structured questionnaire was administered to household heads in 21 villages. The Pearson’s chi-square test was used to analyse the factors that influence household dependence on forest. The effects of household socio-economic characteristics on households’ forest dependence influencing factor were determined using the binary logit model. Up to 97% of the respondents depended on the forest resources predominantly because of low costs associated with using them. It was observed that socio-economic characteristics of households such as farm husbandry skills, years of residence (53–65) in the community and age of respondents (≤38–65) significantly (P < 0.05) influenced use of the forest resources. Thus, effectiveness and sustainability of forest-based climate change intervention initiatives can be promoted if the socio-economic conditions prevailing within households in areas next to forests are improved.     

Production efficiency of community forest management in Nepal

Nepal's forests have been transferred to community management with the twin objectives of supplying forest products and addressing local environmental problems. Community forests provide a range of benefits, from direct forest products such as timber and non-provisioning ecosystem services such as soil protection. There is a need to understand the extent to which environmental and community benefits are joint products or substitutes. Stochastic frontier production analysis (SFPA) was used to study the production relationship between environmental and community benefits and production efficiency analysis to study the extent to which communities were able to achieve maximum benefits. SFPA indicated that the magnitude of direct forest product benefits was influenced by various socioeconomic and forest related factors such as distance to the government office, community forest size, and group heterogeneity negatively affect community forest products benefits. On the other hand, links to the market, forest products dependency, and the number of households in the community augment benefits from community forests. In addition, forest product benefits and environmental benefits were complementary to each other. Production efficiency analysis showed that communities were not producing forest products efficiently. Factors such as social capital contributed positively to production efficiency, whereas caste heterogeneity in the executive committees of community forest user groups was negatively associated with efficiency. These findings can contribute to better implementation of community forestry programmes in Nepal, improving the welfare of communities by increasing direct forest product benefits without environmental harm.     

Technical efficiency in timber production and effects of other income sources

In Norway, as in many other European countries, income from forestry has become marginal to owners’ household economies and most employment of forest-owner households is now undertaken off the property. Also, many forest owners have focused increasingly on other revenue-earning activities on their properties, such as providing recreational services. It is a challenge in all kinds of production to find the optimal way of converting inputs into outputs, i.e., to be technically efficient. Extent of financial dependency on income from forestry differs between part-time and full-time forest owners. Since the two groups have different livelihood strategies, it is plausible that full-time forest owners have more professional forest management practices. Data for a cross-section of 3,249 active (i.e., harvesting) forest owners were extracted from the 2004 Sample Survey of Agriculture and Forestry representing the year 2003. A stochastic production frontier analysis was applied to evaluate forest management efficiency impacts of important factors including property and owner characteristics, outfield-related and agricultural activities, off-property income and geographical location in central or remote areas. It was found that many forest owners are technically inefficient, and there exist opportunities for improved performance. Off-property income was found to have an estimated negative impact on technical efficiency, the inefficiency arising (weakly) with increasing share of household incomes from outfield activities, and properties in urban centred areas are less efficient than those in remote areas. One policy implication of the study is that a potentially substantial efficiency increase might be achieved from allowing small inefficient woodlots to merge into larger units of forestry production. Also, providing support for forest management plans may improve efficiency.     

Consumption Patterns of Fuelwood in Rural Households of Dolakha District,Nepal: Reflections from Community Forest User Groups

Biomass plays a vital role in the energy supply of many developing countries. It is the major energy source for the rural population of Nepal, where 70 % of the total energy is derived from woody plant biomass in the form of fuelwood. The main aim of this study is to describe the fuelwood consumption pattern and the role of community forests and trees on private farmland in biomass supply to rural households in Nepal. The study investigates whether demography and socioeconomic attributes of households affect fuelwood consumption. A household survey was conducted, along with measurements of fuelwood mass for six community forest user groups in Dolakha district of Nepal. Average daily household fuelwood consumption was estimated to be 8.4 kg, giving a mean annual consumption of 3060 kg per household. Per capita fuelwood consumption per day was found to be 1.7 kg. Total fuelwood consumption of households is significantly correlated with household size, ownership of cultivated irrigated terraces and number of livestock per household, and negatively significantly correlated with ownership of cultivated rain-fed terraces. Fuelwood consumption varies significantly between seasons. Among various sources of biomass energy, fuelwood from community forests contributes 23 % and trees on private farmland contribute 12 %. The rest is provided from other biomass sources, including the remains of fodder collected from private farmland vegetation, wood previously used for fences and trellises in private farmland, crop residues, and purchased fuelwood.