ABSTRACT
Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) have been identified to contribute to community
livelihoods. Such contributions are people as well as site specific and may be shortlived
if continuous availability cannot be guaranteed. Information on the role of
NTFPs in community livelihoods is crucial to their sustainable management; however,
this role has not been properly documented in Taraba State. Therefore, contributions of
selected NTFPs to community livelihoods in Taraba State were investigated.
A four-stage sampling procedure was used in the study. Three Local Government
Areas (LGAs) were randomly selected from each of the three existing Agro-ecological
zones (AEZs) in Taraba State. Five wards from each LGA and 30 household heads
(HHHs), using 30% sampling intensity were then randomly selected to give a total of
1,350 HHHs. Five sets of questionnaire were administered to 435 Harvesters, 188
Livestock Managers (LMs), 338 Marketers, 327 Building and Energy materials
Suppliers (BEMSr) and 62 Medicinal Herbs Collectors (MHCs). The NTFPs were
identified and prioritised. Contributions of selected NTFPs to community livelihoods
were evaluated using Food, Livestock Feed (LF), Income and Employment Generation
(IEG), Building and Energy Material Supplies (BEMS) and Medicinal Herbs
Utilisation (MHU) as indices of livelihoods. Data were analysed using descriptive
statistics, t-test, Chi-square and logistic regression at α0.05.
Two hundred and six NTFPs were identified. Ten species having priority for
community livelihoods were Afzelia africana (35), Balanites aegyptiaca (34.5),
Vitellaria paradoxa (34), Parkia biglobosa (33.5), Irvingia gabonensis (33), Xylopia
aethiopica (32.5), Faidherbia albida (32), Adansonia digitata (32), Brachystegia
eurycoma (32), and Elaeis guineensis (31.5). Forty-six species of NTFPs were used as
Food (36 trees, 3 shrubs, 7 herbs), twenty-four as BEMSr (17 trees, 3 shrubs, 4 herbs)
and twenty-nine for MHU (24 trees, 2 shrubs, 3 herbs). The two hundred and six
NTFPs belong to forty-four families. The NTFPs contributed N2,0651197.43 to
Harvesters, N1,523.18977.71 to LMs, N4, 882.063391.75 to Marketers, N1,
268.472023.61 to BEMSr and N1, 553.231062.74 to MHU as income/month. The
NTFPs contributions to community livelihoods were: 34.1% (food) 14.9% (LF);
22.9% (IEG); 22.8% (BEMS) and 5.3% (MHU). Community livelihoods significantly
depended on NTFPs (χ2 = 94.83). Harvesters’ occupation (6.25), age (9.22), monthly
income (2.13), AEZ (1.77), sex (1.65), educational status (1.22) and main forest based
activities (1.21) are likely to influence their dependence on NTFPs for livelihood. The
AEZs (6.88), sex (5.85) and age (4.09) of LMs are likely to influence their dependence
on NTFPs, while monthly income (7.99), AEZ (6.28), sex (2.01) and educational status
(1.63) of marketers are likely to influence their dependence on NTFPs for livelihood.
Also, AEZ (1.98) and monthly income (1.31) are likely to influence BEMS
dependence on NTFPs, while age (4.87), sex (6.84) and AEZ (4.29) are likely to
influence MHC dependence on NTFPs for livelihood.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
iii
Ten of the identified 206 Non-Timber Forest Products significantly enhanced
livelihood status in Taraba State. These species are however under pressure due to
multiple usage, which have implication for their sustainable management. In situ
conservation is therefore recommended to mitigate the pressure on them.
Keywords: Household income generation, Community livelihoods, Priority tree
species, Forest products.
SABO, Z (2021). Contributions Of Selected Non-Timber Forest Products To Community Livelihoods In Taraba State, Nigeria. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/contributions-of-selected-non-timber-forest-products-to-community-livelihoods-in-taraba-state-nigeria-2
SABO, ZAKU "Contributions Of Selected Non-Timber Forest Products To Community Livelihoods In Taraba State, Nigeria" Afribary. Afribary, 12 Apr. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/contributions-of-selected-non-timber-forest-products-to-community-livelihoods-in-taraba-state-nigeria-2. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
SABO, ZAKU . "Contributions Of Selected Non-Timber Forest Products To Community Livelihoods In Taraba State, Nigeria". Afribary, Afribary, 12 Apr. 2021. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/contributions-of-selected-non-timber-forest-products-to-community-livelihoods-in-taraba-state-nigeria-2 >.
SABO, ZAKU . "Contributions Of Selected Non-Timber Forest Products To Community Livelihoods In Taraba State, Nigeria" Afribary (2021). Accessed December 23, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/contributions-of-selected-non-timber-forest-products-to-community-livelihoods-in-taraba-state-nigeria-2