Sustaining farmers livelihoods through community forestry in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Njurumana GN, Ginoga KL, Octavia D. 2020. Sustaining farmers livelihoods through community forestry in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 3786-3796. One of the goals of managing global forest ecosystems today is to synergize their socio-economic, ecological and community livelihood benefits. Each forest type has various socio-economic and ecological characteristics that influence its management strategies and the provision services to the community. In general, the socio-economic benefits of forests in supporting community livelihoods are well known, however, the information which is specifically relevant to tropical monsoon forests is still very limited. This research aims to fill this knowledge gap, by providing information about the socio-economic conditions and provision of services of tropical monsoon forests to people's livelihoods. The research was conducted through structured interviews, FGDs, and field observations, by an analysis unit in community forests in the Sikka district. The information obtained was analyzed through descriptively qualitative and quantitative methods. The results showed an imbalance between the socio-economic conditions of people who rely on the tropical monsoon forest for their livelihoods and the carrying capacity of fuelwood, food, and fodder supply. This imbalance is due to the weak synergy and organization of stakeholders in optimizing how the provision services of forests are used to support farmers' livelihoods. Farmers' dependence on the tropical forest services is still high, therefore the strengthening of farmers' institutions becomes a key factor that determines sustainable management of the forest and enhances the value of its benefits to the community.

Profitability and Efficiency: Determination of the Sustainable Development Strategy for Candlenut Oil Processing Business

“…In efforts to manage NTFPs, farmers are relatively less optimal in allocating input or production factors as efficiently as possible to obtain maximum profit [41]. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a business strategy to optimize NTFP processing businesses with a priority scale of superior commodities, to make a real and sustainable contribution to improving the welfare of the community, especially for farmers who live around forests [42].…”

The Underlying Drivers of Underprivileged Households’ Intention and Behavior towards Community Forestry Management: A Study Using Structural Equation Modelling and Artificial Neural Network Approach

“…According to Sharma [7], forests are generally important in the 21st century because they help mitigate climate change, foster biodiversity, and provide natural resources for economic development. In a more recent study Njurumana, Ginoga, and Octavia [8] noted synergizing the ecological, socio-economic, and community livelihood benefits as one of the goals of managing global forest ecosystems today. Specifically, forestry remains significant for rural communities across the world, who depend on forests for their livelihoods and subsistence [7].…”

“…Specifically, forestry remains significant for rural communities across the world, who depend on forests for their livelihoods and subsistence [7]. Perhaps it is why enhancing forests based on social, economic, and environmental parameters, along with uplifting livelihoods of people who depend on forests, is one of the Global Forest Goals [9]; credit goes to the ability of forests to provide livelihoods to poor communities who depend on forests for the availability of material resources for their daily needs, including animal feed, food, energy, water, spirituality and health, as well as source of income; thereby playing crucial role in reducing poverty [8]. Several governments currently encourage the development of the forestry sector as one of the solutions to alleviate poverty in communities surrounding the forest through social forestry policies and forest area utilization schemes [10,11], one of which is community forestry that aims to provide space for participation of the community in managing forests [8].…”

“…According to Nelson, Muhammed, and Rashid [15], forests and local communities enjoy a mutual relationship wherein forestry contribute significantly to the management of community's livelihood and sustainability. On the other hand, poverty-driven communities around forest areas contribute directly towards increased deforestation [8]. Thus, the local community's perception and participation are essential to address social, economic, and environmental issues as well as ensuring sustainable development through community forestry [5,6].…”

“…Moreover, Malaysia needs a framework for sustainable community forestry that can engage all stakeholders in the local communities to establish common grounds for sustainable forest management and sustainable development [14,15], which further necessitate this study. Furthermore, many of the concerned communities are constantly experiencing socio-economic limitations, which could improve through their participation in community forestry programs [8]. Interestingly, studies portraying the socio-economic benefits of forestry supporting community livelihoods do exist, however the information on the drivers of such communities towards community forestry management remains unexplored.…”