Potential of Forest Resources to Alleviate Poverty and Unemployment in Rural Nepal

Bhubaneswor Dhakal, Hugh R. Bigsby and Ross Cullen

No 31962, 2006 Conference, August 24-25, 2006, Nelson, New Zealand from New Zealand Agricultural and Resource Economics Society

Abstract: The study examines the importance of community forest resources for income and employment in rural areas of Nepal by studying the effect of current forestry policy on forestland use. Using data from 259 households in six community forest user groups in three hilly districts (Dolakha, Kavre and Nuwakot), the results show that the resources available from private lands and community forests with current policies are inadequate to fully utilize the family labour force of many rural households and are insufficient to meet the bare survival income of the poorest households. Current government policy dictates the use of all community forestland for limited timber production and environmental conservation, and provides little scope for fodder and firewood production. The study shows that community forestland management with an agroforestry model could overcome rural unemployment problems and increase incomes.

Keywords: Community/Rural/Urban Development; Consumer/Household Economics; Food Security and Poverty; Labor and Human Capital; Resource/Energy Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 13
Date: 2006
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:nzasin:31962

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.31962

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