ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS AND PLANT DIVERSITY TO RURAL LIVEHOODS IN MAYO-BELWA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjoest.v7i2.274Keywords:
economic impact, non-timber forest products, plant diversity, rural livelihoodAbstract
Among the provisioning services are the non-timber forest products which include fruits, leaves, and medicinal plants honey etc., that have continued to benefit the rural populace. However, the full potential of these products to support local economies and promote sustainable forest management has not been fully integrated into development planning. Multi-stage and systematic sampling techniques were used for this study. Results obtained revealed that majority (86%) of the respondents living close to Gongoshi grazing reserve were males having a mean age of 39 years, mean household size of 8 individuals and were mostly (63.2%) married. The mean monthly income was N16,959 where majority (89.3%) of them lives on less than USD 1 (N1,511). The results further showed that sales of NTFPs were the major (43.5%) contributor to the total household income. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) result revealed a significant relationship P < 0.01 among the various sources of income. Regression analysis on the influence of socio-economic attributes of respondents in the study area on total household income also revealed that age , education, occupation were all significant at P < 0.01 while marital status was not significant P > 0.005. Simpson 's Diversity Index was 0.896 hence the need for proper training of the people on value addition, processing, storage in addition to sustainable harvesting and conservation of the forest resources particularly the Non- Timber Forest Products.
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