Contribution of Forest Products to Promoterural Livelihood: A Study of Community Forestry User Groupsbudhakot Vdc, Achham

Abstract

National forest in Nepal in being increasingly handed over as community forest tofulfill the basic needs of forest products along with income and employment to therural people. With changing context, community forest has broadened itself asimportant means for rural developmentand immense to rural livelihood. The need ofidentifying rural opportunity, researcher has chosen this study topic contribution offorest Products to promote rural Livelihood by increased income opportunity inselected community forest in Budhakot VDC Achham.TwoCFUGs were randomlyselected for this study as study site. Focus group discussion, household survey, KII, Direct Observation and study ofrelevant secondary literature were the basic tools to gather some information. Bothqualitative as well as quantitative data were used to draw the conclusion. Quantitativedata were analyzed with the help of computer, Excel 2007. Among of respondents 75.47% respondents were adoptedagriculture occupation andfollowed by occupational works. Land holdings have positive correlation with well-being status in agrarian society, Thus it was tried to find out the landholdings of therespondent. The majority of the respondents were from medium level landholdings 25Ropani.To some extent,Livestock rearing practices was changing to words stall-feeding System from conventional open grazing system after the handover the forestpatches as community forest. It has created positive impact on regeneration incommunity forest. Some forest management activities were practiced in CFUG butthey were still passively managed with strict protection. Neither, the forest operationalplan was positive toward achieve forest management for sustainable benefit. Recently,someFP promotion activities were introduced in 2selected CF; Users were facing theproblem of selling their products due to weak marketing linkageandaccess of road.By the selling of forest products users used to buy the daily consumption goods like:sugar,Oil,soap etc. Similarly forest products help to education to the children. To buythe Book, copy and paying thefee ofstudents are dependent on forest product selling.This study reveals that community forestry has remarkable contribution in livelihoodassets generation but the assets were not equitably accessible to the poor people. Thedisparity of poor in human, financial, and social assets were identified.Therecommendations for user group level are equitable benefit sharing system should be vi adopted during the distribution of forest products and group fund, and it is veryimportant of include Dalit, women and other disadvantaged members in the decisionmaking position of CFUGs. Similarly at the district level; technical support for activeforest management needs to be provided through DFO and/or other partner organizations. FP cultivation should be promoted with sufficient technical knowledge and well established marketing mechanism should be improved in district level.Identification and promotion of viable forest based enterprises needs to be established in a way that provide sustainable benefits to the poor users.