ABSTRACT

Examining the household’s dependence on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and analyzing their determinants has significance for policy decisions. Therefore, this study examines the contribution of NTFPs to rural livelihoods, its potential in poverty alleviation, and socioeconomic drivers of households’ collection of NTFPs. The study is based on primary data collected by using a structured questionnaire survey of 450 randomly selected households in Metema and Quara districts of Amhara region, Ethiopia along with key informant interviews, focus group discussion with residents, and from government offices. We adopted an income accounting model for apportioning components of total income for finding income from NTFPs and applied the Tobit regression model for our analysis and found that households are considerably dependent on NTFPs. Income from NTFPs accounts for 23.1% of the total household income. However, the level and pattern of reliance on these forest products vary across different socioeconomic groups. Income from NTFPs also helps 20% of the households to remain above the poverty line. Moreover, the study shows that age, household size, landholding, cooperative membership, per capita income, and access to extension service influence households’ dependence on NTFPs. Thus, we suggest that any policy intervention in dry forest areas should be planned without destructing the forest ecosystem.

摘要

检查家庭对非木材林产品 (NTFP) 的依赖并分析​​其决定因素对政策决策具有重要意义。因此，本研究考察了 NTFP 对农村生计的贡献、其在扶贫方面的潜力以及家庭收集 NTFP 的社会经济驱动因素。该研究基于对埃塞俄比亚阿姆哈拉地区 Metema 和 Quara 地区 450 个随机选择的家庭进行结构化问卷调查以及关键知情人访谈、与居民的焦点小组讨论以及政府办公室收集的原始数据。我们采用收入核算模型对总收入的组成部分进行分配，以寻找来自 NTFP 的收入，并应用 Tobit 回归模型进行分析，发现家庭在很大程度上依赖于 NTFP。NTFP 收入占家庭总收入的 23.1%。然而，不同社会经济群体对这些林产品的依赖程度和模式各不相同。NTFP 的收入还帮助 20% 的家庭保持在贫困线以上。此外，研究表明，年龄、家庭规模、土地拥有量、合作社成员、人均收入和推广服务的可及性会影响家庭对 NTFP 的依赖。因此，我们建议对干旱森林地区的任何政策干预都应在不破坏森林生态系统的情况下进行规划。家庭规模、土地拥有量、合作社成员、人均收入和推广服务的可及性会影响家庭对 NTFPs 的依赖。因此，我们建议对干旱森林地区的任何政策干预都应在不破坏森林生态系统的情况下进行规划。家庭规模、土地拥有量、合作社成员、人均收入和推广服务的可及性会影响家庭对 NTFPs 的依赖。因此，我们建议对干旱森林地区的任何政策干预都应在不破坏森林生态系统的情况下进行规划。