Are community forests delivering livelihood benefits? Insights from Uganda
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Forests, Trees and Livelihoods
Abstract
Most developing countries in the tropics have embraced various forms
of community-based forest management. Uganda’s Community
Forestry (CF) approach grants de jure rights to community groups to
manage and own proceeds from specified forest resources to enhance
socio-ecological benefits. However, two decades following its implementation,
there is insufficient empirical evidence linking changes in
local community livelihoods to participation in CF. Guided by insights
from the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA), we conducted
a cross-sectional survey in seven villages surrounding two de facto
CFs in mid-western Uganda to quantify and compare livelihood capitals,
strategies and outcomes among 40 households that were members
of Communal Land Associations (CLAs) that are mandated to
manage the CFs and 91 non-member households. Our results indicate
significant improvements in access to natural, social and financial
capitals of CLA member households. On-farm income was the main
household income source in the area, but households also exhibited
heavy dependence on forest environmental income observed to
reduce poverty incidence by 12.5% and 5.5% among CLA member
and non-member households, respectively. In order to significantly
contribute to rural livelihoods, conservation and development interventions
should amplify both economic and non-economic incentives
to consolidate the gains that have been made while developing
human and physical capital.
Description
Keywords
Livelihood asset, Capital, Community forestry, Sustainable livelihoods approach, Community-based forest management, Uganda
Citation
Christopher Mawa, David Mwesigye Tumusiime & Fred Babweteera (2021) Are community forests delivering livelihood benefits? Insights from Uganda, Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 30:2, 133-150, DOI: 10.1080/14728028.2021.1904010