Non-Timber Forest Products By-Laws and Their Impacts on Households’ Food Security in Kondoa District, United Republic of Tanzania

Autor: Heri Sagali, Erasto Mang’enya, Yingli Huang
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Engineering Proceedings, Vol 56, Iss 1, p 280 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2673-4591
DOI: 10.3390/ASEC2023-15323
Popis: Humans have relied on forest resources for their basic needs, including fuel, food, and shelter. The high demand for these resources has led to the implementation of forest protection and management measures, including the establishment of by-laws. These regulations aim to control community access and use of forest products, which significantly affect the availability of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and, in turn, food security in the study area. Our study employs a combination of probability and non-probability household sampling methods and a cross-sectional survey to collect data from respondents in Mnenia and Kolo villages. Our findings reveal that 74% of respondents in the study area experience food shortages. To address food security, 81% resort to selling household assets, 63% rely on food aid from institutions and the government, and 36.31% supplement their food supply by consuming edible NTFPs. The NTFPs available for gathering in the area encompass dead wood, wild vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and medicinal plants, which are essential to the local communities. However, the perception of the people regarding forest management and food security indicates that 85.2% of respondents favor reducing the strictness of forest access, while 74.07% advocate for an increase in NTFP collection, recognizing potential side effects on forest management. In light of these findings, it is imperative to strike a balance between by-laws and the sustainable management of forest resources to strengthen the region’s forest management and food security.
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