Socio-economic survey tools provide a means of improving understanding of local resource management systems, resource use and the relative importance of resources for households and villages. They can also be used to elicit insights on interaction with government decision-making systems, community perceptions of trends and priority issues, and community-based institutions and their role in the sustainable use and conservation of natural resources. Use of such tools is an important first step in engaging local communities and ensuring that local voices are heard and that the community relationship with resources, land rights and access are incorporated into collaborative land use planning processes. Collaborative land use planning involves working with all stakeholders – government, communities, the private sector and others – to ensure that land is used sustainably and that environmental degradation and forest loss are avoided, while accounting for the social and economic implications for all users. With respect to communities, collaborative land use planning aims: To ensure that land use planning decisions are made with consideration of local communities’ opinions, land use needs and socio-economic conditions, including rights of access to and use of land. The aim of this guide (and the Supporting Notes) is to provide practical steps (survey design, sampling and data requirements; planning and training, conducting the survey) for field-based practitioners to conduct socio-economic surveys of households and villages, including focus groups and key informant interviews. The information obtained can be used directly in the collaborative land use planning process, helping to facilitate or reinforce a consensus on land tenure and rights, now and in the future.
Tag: surveys
Farmers’ perspectives about agroforests conversion to plantations in Sumatra: Lessons learnt fro m Bungo district (Jambi, Indonesia)
Located on the fringe of the last tropical rainforests of Sumatra, rubber agroforests are known to conserve the main ecological functions of the primary forest, including a large part of its biodiversity. Nowadays these smallholder plantations are under threat. The regular rise of natural rubber and crude palm oil prices has been a major incentive for farmers to convert their agroforests into clonal rubber and oil-palm plantations. However, some areas seem to resist conversion. A multidisciplinary approach combining perception surveys and satellite-image analysis was designed to find out the reasons for these differences. In 12 villages grouped in 3 categories according to their agroforest conversion rate between 1993 and 2005, farmers were queried about the pros and the cons of the major cropping systems, their attitude towards conservation, and how they envisaged the future of their landscape. This method enabled us to elaborate the most likely scenarios of landscape evolution for the coming years.
Species-Poor Mangrove Forests also Provide Rich Ecosystem Goods and Services
Mangrove forests provide a wide range of services to coastal communities worldwide. These services include carbon sequestration and coastal protection, both of which are critical in the context of climate change. However, these wetlands are still experiencing destructive anthropogenic impacts in many areas. Senegal and Colombia, two countries in the Atlantic-East Pacific biogeographic region, both have abundant mangrove cover and share several mangrove species. This study assessed the use of mangrove resources (fuelwood, timber, and other non-timber forest products) by local communities in both countries. A total of 210 semi-structured ethnobotanical questionnaire-based interviews were conducted in Sokone and neighboring villages bordering the Sine-Saloum Delta in Senegal (110) and in the Cispata lagoon system in Colombia (100). The results for Senegal indicate that individuals residing near the Sine-Saloum Delta in neighboring villages rely more on mangroves compared to those living in Sokone. In Colombia, reliance on mangroves was associated with occupational activities. Despite lower species diversity compared to the Indo-West Pacific biogeographic region, mangroves provide various services in both areas, underscoring their significance to local communities and their livelihoods. Finally, the Indigenous and local knowledge emphasizes the need for alternatives to mangrove resources and the promotion of sustainable harvesting practices to ensure the conservation of mangroves and the continued provision of essential services.
Balancing supply and demand: A case study of rattan in the Danau Sentarum national park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
The Danau Sentarum National Park (DSNP), Kalimantan, Indonesia, covers 30 000 ha of lake and 81 000 ha of lowland, seasonally flooded forest. It is the largest network of inland lakes in Borneo. The park is inhabited by over 5500 Malay fishermen. Most of the fishing implements used by the local population are made from rattan, and large quantities of rattan are also harvested and sold to timber companies for lashing together rafts of logs. The 3 most commonly used species at DSNP are duri antu (Calamus schistoacanthus), duri tapah (Calamus tapa) and duri pelanduk (Ceratolobus hallierianus). Inventories indicate that the 3 rattans differ greatly in the number of harvestable clumps/ha (>4.0 m tall). The duri antu populations average over 900 clumps/ha, duri pelanduk grows at densities of 400-500 clumps/ha, and duri tapah averages only 50 clumps/ha. Based on the observed relationship between clump height and the number of canes/clump, it is estimated that there are over 34 000 duri antu canes/ha growing in the flooded forest of DSNP. An analysis of local demand, productivity and current harvest intensities reveals that local rattan resources are being gradually overexploited. Several fishing communities have started to manage their rattan resources by controlling harvests and rehabilitating and enriching natural stands.
Planning technical interventions in agroforestry projects
In agroforestry projects careful planning and design of technologies is necessary because of the complex nature of agroforestry and the lack of proven technology ‘packages’. To identify appropriate methodologies, ICRAF conducted in 1988/89 a review of agroforestry technology monitoring and evaluation in 165 projects worldwide. Approximately half of the projects that responded to the review had carried out technology planning and design activities. The spectrum of information needs, which includes needs assessment, biophysical site description, agroforestry opportunities and existing information was inadequately covered by most projects. Statistically designed and questionnaire-based farmer surveys were favoured by projects although a range of more appropriate approaches and methods for technology planning and design exists. A planning approach is suggested that includes a pilot phase during which initial technology designs are developed and tested with farmers. Projects are encouraged to use more cost-effective, non-statistical methods. The authors recommend improvements to technology planning/design methods and identify training needs for project managers and extension staff.
An ecological approach to on-farm experimentation
The need to obtain more bio-physical agroforestry data from on-farm situations is emphasized. Two methods are discussed: studies of single, established multipurpose trees and on-farm experimentation. Some of the complexities of the former are described and briefly illustrated. A new approach to on-farm experimentation is proposed which involves randomly sampling natural conditions on-farm which are selected to be relevant and useful comparisons (“ecological” treatments), and/or with added manipulations (“interference” treatments). The advantages of this ecological approach, using any “quadrats” designs, are discussed vis-a-vis classical conventionally designed experiments, which may not be perceived by the farmer as so relevant, nor lend themselves to his active participation so readily
Calliandra calothyrsus: assessing the early stages of adoption of a fodder tree in the highlands of central Kenya
The paper examines the early stages of adoption of Calliandra calothyrsus, a leguminous fodder tree, among smallholder dairy producers in the highlands of central Kenya. The main objectives of the study were: to examine the expansion of calliandra planting by farmers; to document farmers’ experiences and assessments in testing, managing and using the tree; to determine the economic impact of calliandra from farmers’ perspective and to provide feedback to research, extension and policy makers on issues which need to be examined for the improvement and promotion of calliandra as a fodder crop It starts by describing the study area, then summarises the research on the management of calliandra as a fodder tree and as a feed for dairy cows. Next the survey methods are described and the results and conclusions are presented.
Blue carbon market in Viet Nam: Potential and challenges for future development
This report was prepared to provide information for policymakers in Vietnam on the potential, opportunities and challenges in designing and implementing policies and project programs. Blue carbon projects include mangroves, peatlands, wetlands, seagrass, and tidal marshes. The report was developed based on policy analysis and secondary documents, online surveys with stakeholders, and consultations with relevant stakeholders through a scientific national consultation workshop.
Coordinating forest tenure reform: Objectives, resources and relations in Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, and Uganda
As forest tenure reform is mainstreamed around the world, outcomes are increasingly determined by the institutions that are responsible for administering its operationalisation and translating policy into implementation. This global study examines state institutional contexts of tenure reform in Kenya, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia, and Peru. Interviews were administered in 2016–2017 using a fixed questionnaire applied across all countries involving 26–32 respondents from state implementers of forest tenure reform in each country for a total of 145 respondents. Although our study engagement was tailored for specific country contexts, we identified generalisable forest tenure reform trends through comparative analysis. Findings situate the overall bridging role that state institutions play in forest tenure reform, which we describe as falling under three key overarching coordination functions, namely: coordination among implementers, coordination of objectives, and coordination of resources. These three categories provide insights not only for gauging the progress of a country’s forest tenure reform, but also for evaluating how robust reforms have been, and where forest tenure reforms are headed in the future.