Economic Contribution of Forest Resource at Household Level in the Bale Mountains Eco-Region Redd+Project, Southern Ethiopia

Forest significantly contributes to household incomes and influences patterns of economic development by promoting sustainable or green development. Yet, effective forest use and management/governance requires a deeper understanding of forest’s multiple socio-economic functions or benefits at various scales, in particular at local level. Hence, reliable and up to-date information on the state of forest resources - not only on area and area change, but also on such variables as economic contribution for household environment and others variables are very important. This study was conducted in Southern Ethiopia in the Oromia region in the district of Dodola. The main objective of the study was to assess the economic contribution of forest resource at household level. Data were collected through household survey, group discussions and key informant interviews. Data was analysed by statistical methods include descriptive statistics, Leaner regression analysis. The results of the study show that forest products are important sources of income contributing to 30% and 51.3% of household per capita income and per capita cash income, respectively. Forest income is an important bumper against extreme poverty by filling seasonal gaps of income and by serving as safety net in times of income crisis. Forest income also provides the opportunity to diversify livelihoods, particularly for low income groups. Households’ decisions on livelihood strategies including dependence on forest income are associated with socioeconomic and geographical factors. It is recommended that a better outcome in terms of poverty alleviation can be achieved if pro-poor forest-based activities are specifically considered in planning conservation and development interventions. Keywords/Phrases: Bale Eco Region, Forest income, forest-management at household level, Oromia, Ethiopia, REDD+ DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/53-02 Publication date:March 31st 201