Contribution of non-timber forest products to the livelihood of households: a case study, “Bugitimwa subcounty, Sironko district, Uganda

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are widely used wild, biological products harvested from rural and urban landscapes for household subsistence, income and culture, thereby contributing to human wellbeing of millions of people. Understanding NTFP dependence is instrumental in guiding plans of forest use. NTFPs trade can generate cash income that is important for the improvement of livelihoods of households by meeting basic needs especially food, medicine, school fees and other expenditures. Livelihood refers to the means of earning a living or the activities undertaken by a family to obtain the basic materials needed to sustain household survival and development. The wealth of the families affects the utilization of NTFPs, Poor households heavily utilize NTFPs compared to wealthy households for both subsistence consumption and generation of cash income. The overall objective of this study was the contribution of NTFPs to the livelihoods in Bugitimwa Sub County, Mount Elgon Forest Reserve, Sironko District. The specific objectives were 1).to determine the non-timber forest products harvested from the Mt Elgon forest reserve. 2) To determine the collection patterns of the NTFPs, 3) to assess local perception of non-timber forest products availability. This study was conducted on 70 households which were randomly sampled in the parish of Bumagabula Parish, Bugitimwa Sub County, Sironko. I used interviews with an aid of a questionnaire. The common NTFPs harvested are bamboo shoots, firewood, banana stacks, mushrooms, vegetables, herbal medicine. Women and children mostly collect these products for home use while men collect mainly for commercial use and this contributes to their livelihoods