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Rubber trees and non-timber forest products: An assessment of the preference of environmental resources among Edo Rural Households Fruit

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Institute of Biodiversity, Climate Change and Watershed; Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria
  • 2Institute of Biodiversity, Climate Change and Watershed; Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria
  • 3Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria
  • 4Institute of Biodiversity, Climate Change and Watershed; Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria

Res. J. Agriculture & Forestry Sci., Volume 12, Issue (3), Pages 7-14, July,8 (2024)

Abstract

The problems of environmental degradation, global climate change, and rural poverty have raised serious concern as the food and income sources of rural population have been depleted due to increasing pressure on forests and natural ecosystems. The rural people in developing countries including subsistence farmers, hunters and gatherers depend on environmental resources for their livelihood. The objectives of this study were to identify the forest resources preferred by rural households, examine what influences rural households in the use of forest resources, and identify problems faced by rural households in the use of the resources. Four local government areas (LGA) in Edo State were purposively selected. Four rural communities in each sampled LGA were randomly selected, while 15 household heads randomly selected from each community were administered with semi-structured questionnaires. Data were subjected to descriptive statistics; chi square was used to carry out statistical test on stated hypothesis. The results showed that non-timber forest products (NTFPs) were the preferred environmental resources used by rural households in the study area. Fuel wood was the most highly preferred NTFP used by majority (86.6%) of the respondents; followed by bush meat; honey; bamboo; snails; wild vegetables; and other fruits and medicinal species. The results also revealed that rural households in the study area used NTFPs to meet their livelihood needs especially agricultural production and income generation. Chi-square test (p< 0.05) showed that dependence on forest resources was significantly associated with household size, educational and income levels of respondents. Scarcity of NTFPs was one of the major problems faced by respondents. Finding alternative options to increase the supply of NTFPs is fundamental to alleviating rural poverty and conserving the environment. Strategies to increase supply of NTFPs outside the natural forests include socio-forestry programmes that will engage and support small-holder farmers to domesticate some NTFPs within rubber-tree agroforest plantations.

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