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Livelihood strategies and income generation in community forest user groups in Nepal
Project
Project code: TI-WF-08-PID474
Contract period: 01.01.2011
- 31.12.2013
Purpose of research: Basic research
What influences deforestation and forest degradation in poor tropical countries? Our research interest is focussed on rural areas with subsistence-oriented populations, where poverty goes along with deforestation and forest degradation.
The Forest Principles request the sustainable management of forests (UNFF, NLBI), which includes the objectives for forest conservation and climate change mitigation. A main topic is the financing of sustainable forest management and forest conservation worldwide. At the Thünen-Institute the project „Improvement of the economic sustainability of natural forest management in the tropics” was conducted by assistance of international partners. In the frame of the project, livelihood strategies of rural households in Nepal were analysed. Thereby the households’ income generation from the forest and other land uses were considered. Two different systems of participatory forest management were compared (‘community forest user groups’ and ‘buffer zone community forest user groups’), which have different institutional setups. They are under sovereignty of different ministerial departments and have different management plans, user rights and duties.
We conducted a household survey in 358 rural households in eight participatory forest user groups in the district Chitwan in the lowlands of Nepal. In each community also the user group committee was interviewed.
By the interviews we collected household- and individual-related data on the forest and non-forest related activities, on income, property, land use, labour and in kind input, as well as on yields. In the same line, data on land and commodity prices, market and barter values for the region were collected.
The data were analysed by descriptive analyses with regard to the households’ livelihood strategies, including income generation, land use decisions and intensities. Besides internal influences also external influencing factors, like geographical conditions, infrastructure connections and institutional restrictions were considered.
Section overview
Subjects
- Forestry
- Climate Change
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Institute of International Forestry and Forest Economics (TI-IW)