Rural household participation in markets for non-timber forest products in Zambia

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) support livelihoods in rural communities through provision of food, fuel, materials, medicines and income from sales. We estimated the contribution of NTFPs to rural household income in Zambia, and used a two-stage tobit alternative model to identify the factors associated with participation in NTFP markets. NTFPs accounted for 35 per cent of household income for participating households, second only to trading. Human capital variables and the value of assets were found to be significant determinants of both participation in business activities related to NTFPs and the associated household income, and the poor were more dependent on NTFPs than wealthier households. The effect of average rainfall underscores the role that NTFPs play in providing a safety net during periods of low crop yields. Rural development policies should recognize the role played by NTFPs in rural livelihoods and the need to balance welfare improvement and sustainable forest management.The authors would like to acknowledge the role of the Zambia Central Statistics Office in data collection and entry. Margaret Beaver provided substantial contributions to the training of enumerators and data entry personnel. The authors acknowledge financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) missions in Lusaka. The paper benefitted from the comments of two anonymous reviewers. Any views expressed or remaining errors are solely the responsibility of the authors. 488 Brian P. Mulenga et al.

Non-Timber Forest Products Collection Affects Education of Children in Forest Proximate Communities in Northeastern Pakistan

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HIV/AIDS and other household shocks as catalysts of local commercialization of non‐timber forest products in Southern Africa

“…Many other studies (Shackleton et al, 2008;Venter & Witkowski, 2013;Mjoli & Shackleton, 2015) have reported perceptions of traders, most of which convey that the number of traders has increased over the recent past. A number of surveys indicate that approximately 2% to 10% of rural households in southern Africa trade at least one NTFP either on an ad hoc basis or a primary means of income generation (Brigham, 1996;Arnold & Townson, 1998;Shackleton & Shackleton, 2004;Mulenga, Richardson, Tembo, & Mapemba, 2013). However, engagement in NTFP trade is differentiated by wealth class, with considerably more poor households selling one or more NTFPs than richer households in the same location (Shackleton & Shackleton, 2006;Paumgarten & Shackleton, 2009).…”

Poverty-environment relationships under market heterogeneity: cash transfers and rural livelihoods in Zambia

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