Contribution of Nontimber Forest Products to Rural Household Income in the Kassena-Nankana West District of Ghana

Abstract

The contribution of income from nontimber forest products (NTFPs) to rural livelihoods and household income has received global recognition. However, there are growing concerns of overexploitation of NTFPs driven by poverty and policy neglect that threaten the sustainability of the NTFP resource base in Kassena-Nankana West District (KNWD) of Ghana. The study investigated the contribution of income from NTFPs to household income and socioeconomic factors that influence the collection and marketing of NTFPs in KNWD. Using a multistage sampling technique, quantitative data were collected from 375 households through structured survey questionnaires. Qualitative data were gathered through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and field observations. Results showed that income from NTFPs forms a significant part of household income with a contribution of 32.69 percent to household income. Regression analysis revealed sex of respondent (P = 0.057), household size (P = 0.046), agricultural land size (P = 0.000), NTFP retailers (P = 0.000), NTFP wholesalers (P = 0.000), and value-added NTFPs (P = 0.000) as significantly and positively correlated with income from NTFPs. Results further indicated that poor households depend primarily on NTFPs in order to achieve their subsistence and income needs compared to high-income households. This research recommends that stakeholders and policymakers consider the needs of forest-dependent communities in policy analysis on NTFP conservation measures. Also, the role of households, especially the low income (poor), in the management of forest resources should be spelled out since they depend primarily on NTFPs to meet their subsistence and income needs.

Rural Households’ Perceptions of Rosehip and the Role It Plays in Rural Livelihoods in Lesotho

“…This implies that people with larger household sizes were compelled to participate in rosehip harvesting more than those with fewer members because they have more people to feed. This nding backs up previous research that found a positive and signi cant relationship between household size and forest resources dependency (Aung et al, 2014;Adongo et al, 2019). According to Suleiman et al (2017), large families have limited land holdings and high food dependency ratios, so they rely on natural resource collection due to the availability of family labour.…”

“…Consistent with prior expectations, the negative correlation of gender with the individual's decision to participate in rosehip harvesting suggests that women headed households relied more on rosehip harvesting because they are likely to have larger households, are often poorer and thus greater demands on them. According to Adongo et al (2019), most men do not participate in harvesting because it is assumed that collecting forest products is the responsibility of women. In this study, out of 80 respondents involved in rosehip harvesting, 69 were female.…”

“…In contrast, variables such as gender, education, occupation of the household head and wage income expected to have a negative correlation with participation in rosehip harvesting. Years of formal education of household members in uence the nature and decisions of their economic activities(Mulenga et al, 2011;Adongo et al, 2019). In most cases male-headed households tend to be well-off relative to female-headed households(Kamanga et al, 2008).…”

Produktivitas Usahatani Dan Sistem Pemasaran Umbi Taka (Tacca Leontopetaloides) Di Kabupaten Garut

“…Menurut Irawanti et al, (2012), penanaman jenis HHBK sangat membantu dalam memperoleh pendapatan usahatani hutan rakyat yang berkesinambungan. Studi Adongo et al, (2019) menegaskan pendapatan HHBK cukup besar bagi masyarakat pedesaan di tanah komunal Afrika Selatan dan secara konsisten melebihi pendapatan gabungan pertanian dan peternakan yang subur. Hasil kajian Nugroho et al (2015) juga menyebutkan bahwa HHBK memiliki kontribusi sebesar 25,16% terhadap pendapatan petani di Desa Bukabuka, Sulawesi Utara.…”

Pandemic-induced shocks and shifts in forest-based livelihood strategies: learning from COVID-19 in the Bia West District of Ghana

“…Sub-Sahara Africa hosts about 15% of the total global forest cover, with over 80% of its population depending on the forest for their livelihoods (Adongo et al 2019, FAO 2020. This sub-region is not spared from the grievous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”