Research Article
Jacob Obodai, Lawrencia Pokuah
Abstract
Efforts aimed at combating deforestation have in the past neglected the involvement of households in forest fringe communities [FFCs] therefore the National Forest Plantation Development Program implemented from 2001 and re-launched in 2010 as the Expanded Plantation Program [EPP] was a participatory forestry intervention that included households in FFCs as well as the public sector in the management of forest resources. This study was embedded in the DFID Sustainable Livelihood Framework and presents the viewpoint of 85 respondents randomly selected from four communities in the Asante Akyim South District of Ghana. It highlights how the EPP contributes to sustainable livelihoods of households in FFCs. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were employed in this study. In-depth interviews and questionnaire were the method and tool respectively used in gathering data whereas statistical tools such as linear regression, frequencies and percentages were used in analyzing the quantitative data. Content analysis was used in analyzing the qualitative data. The study established a strong positive correlation between the total monthly income and the monthly income from the EPP. An average income of GH¢ 229 ($72) was earned by households from the EPP which was twice the average income earned from other sources. Also, natural (land) and social assets were transferred to households contributing to their livelihood sustainability. Efforts must therefore be geared towards increasing the participatory role of households in forest fringe communities since it contributes to forest reparation, sustainable livelihood and poverty reduction.