Forest Dwelling Households Labor Allocation: Implications for NWFP Conservation in Kerala, India

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Forest Dwelling Households Labor Allocation
Implications for NWFP Conservation in Kerala,
India

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Non-Wood Forest Products
Asparagus racemosus willd.
Chanangha
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Non-Wood Forest Products
Goods of biological origin, other than wood, as
well as services derived from forests and allied
land uses (FAO, 1995)
Asparagus racemosus willd.
Chanangha
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Limitations of NWFP-based initiatives

• NWFP-based initiatives are not achieving both
  conservation and local development
• Insufficient economic incentive to conserve
  forest
• Unsustainable extraction over-harvesting and
  destructive harvesting techniques

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Alternative approach to NWFP conservation

• Cultivation of high-value NWFPs
• World Bank funded project
• Kerala Forest Department and
• Tropical Botanical Garden Research Institute
• Kanikkar Tribe
• Cultivation of Tricholomus zeylanica

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Research Question

• How do returns from cultivation of high-value
  NWFPs affect forest-dwelling households reliance
  on NWFP collection for income?
• Will returns from cultivation of NWFPs reduce the
  labor that households allocate to NWFP
  collection?

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Kerala
Map from Conservation International
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Kerala
Biodiversity Hotspot
Map from Conservation International
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Kerala
Biodiversity Hotspot 27 is forests (moist
deciduous, dry deciduous, evergreen,
semi-evergreen and temperate
Map from WCMC
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Kerala
Biodiversity Hotspot 27 is forests (moist
deciduous, dry deciduous, evergreen,
semi-evergreen and temperate Source of timber
(teak) and NWFPs (mainly medicinal plants)
Map from WCMC
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Kerala
Biodiversity Hotspot 27 is forests (moist
deciduous, dry deciduous, evergreen,
semi-evergreen and temperate Source of timber
(teak) and NWFPs (mainly medicinal plants)
Research site
Map from WCMC
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Kani
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Kani
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Kani
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Kani
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Kani
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Activity Choices
Bark of Symplocos cochinchinensis
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Activity Choices
Bark of Symplocos cochinchinensis
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Activity Choices
Bark of Symplocos cochinchinensis
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Regulations on NWFPs collection

• Only forest-dwelling households (scheduled tribes)

Cosinium fenestratum
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Regulations on NWFPs collection

• Only forest-dwelling households (scheduled
  tribes)
• Restrictions regarding species permit for 140
  species

Cosinium fenestratum
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Peppara Forest Sanctuary
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Terminalia chebula
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Fruits of Terminalia chebula
Terminalia chebula
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NWFP trade
SC/ST SOCIETY
TRIBAL COLLECTOR
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NWFP trade
SC/ST SOCIETY
TRIBAL COLLECTOR
MIDDLEMEN or TRADERS
CONSUMER
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Cultivation
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Cultivation
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Cultivation
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Cash crop sale
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Cash crop sale
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Cash crop sale
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Research Question

• Will returns from cultivation of NWFPs reduce the
  labor that households allocate to NWFP
  collection?
• Are returns from cultivation of cash crops
  inversely related to household labor allocated to
  NWFP collection?

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Assumptions

• Production and consumption decisions are made
  jointly

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Assumptions

• Production and consumption decisions are made
  jointly
• Households do not purchase NWFPs

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Assumptions

• Production and consumption decisions are made
  jointly
• Households do not purchase NWFPs
• Reduced labor allocation to NWFP collection will
  alleviate pressure on the forest

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Assumptions

• Production and consumption decisions are made
  jointly
• Households do not purchase NWFPs
• Reduced labor allocation to NWFP collection will
  alleviate pressure on the forest
• Returns from cash crops and cultivated medicinal
  plants have a similar impact on a households
  allocation of labor to NWFP collection.

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What the literature suggests

• Theoretical models ambiguous relationship
  between returns and labor allocation to forest
  activities

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What the literature suggests

• Theoretical models ambiguous relationship
  between returns and labor allocation to forest
  activities
• Positive relationship between agricultural output
  prices and deforestation

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What the literature suggests

• Theoretical models ambiguous relationship
  between returns and labor allocation to forest
  activities
• Positive relationship between agricultural output
  prices and deforestation
• Negative relationship between off-farm wage and
  deforestation

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Quantitative and qualitative data

• Questionnaire (n94)
• Random sample
• Four settlements
• Semi-structured interviews (n30)
• Observation of selling of NWFPs and cash crops

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Preliminary Findings

• Households involved in
• Cultivation, collection and daily wage 22.3
• Cultivation and collection 62.8
• Cultivation and daily wage 1
• Cultivation only 10.6
• Collection only 3.3

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Preliminary Findings

• Descriptive statistics (mean (sd))
• Household size 4 (1.5)
• Land size 1.21 ha (0.55)
• Household head age 42.3 years (14.4)
• Total labor available 602.4 days (292.2)
• Years living in area 18.3 years (12.3)

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Preliminary Findings

• Cultivation
• Income 166.92/yr (110.25)
• Labor share 0.28 (0.09)
• Collection
• Income 122.49/yr (84.13)
• Labor share 0.25 (0.16)

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Preliminary regression analysis
Li f(Wc, Wf, Ww,B, ? ) Li labor share i
c (cultivation) or f (forest collection) Wc per
day returns to cultivation Wf per day returns
to forest activity Ww off-farm wage B makes
baskets ? household characteristics
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Preliminary regression analysis
Lc f(Wc, Wf, Ww,B, ? )
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Preliminary regression analysis
Lc f(Wc, Wf, Ww,B, ? )
R2 0.23
sig 0.05 sig 0.1
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Preliminary regression analysis
Lf f(Wc, Wf, Ww,B, ? )
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Preliminary regression analysis
Lf f(Wc, Wf, Ww,B, ? )
R2 0.30
sig 0.05 sig 0.1
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Preliminary thoughts on implications for NWFP
conservation

• Positive relationship between returns from
  cultivation and labor that a household allocated
  to forest production collection

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Preliminary thoughts on implications for NWFP
conservation

• Positive relationship between returns from
  cultivation and labor that a household allocated
  to forest production collection
• Increase returns from NWFP collection

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Preliminary thoughts on implications for NWFP
conservation

• Positive relationship between returns from
  cultivation and labor that a household allocated
  to forest production collection
• Increase returns from NWFP collection
• Institutional issues

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