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Economics of Homestead Forestry and Household Fuel Use Pattern in Selected Areas of Bangladesh

M. Harun Ali
Department of Cooperation and Marketing, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh.

Nurunnaher
Department of Cooperation and Marketing, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

This paper investigates the economics of homestead forestry and household fuel use patterns in some areas of Bangladesh. The average size of the homestead area was 0.06 ha and the average number of forest trees was 1.24, fruit plants 2.07, and bamboos 18.16. Per farm average annual return from the forest plants was Tk.2389.3 per farm and it accounted for 12.67 percent of the total farm income. All the farms used home supplied firewood, dry leaves of trees, cow-dung cakes, paddy stalk, and straw as a household fuel. The paper identifies a number of constraints to further development of homestead forestry. Finally, some measures are suggested in the study.

Keywords: Homestead forestry and Fuel use pattern

Location: Three Upazilas, viz., Ishwarganj, Gouripur and Phulpur of Mymensingh district.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Homestead Agroforestry

Objectives:

The specific objectives of the present study were: i) to determine the size of homestead area by farm size status, including considering their socioeconomic status; ii) to find out the species wise timber plants inventory including bamboo and fruit plants of the by farm size group and to assess the present market value of the trees with their main objectives of plantation; iii) to examine the last one-year outputs from homestead plants and their share in the respective families' income and fuelwood requirements, and v) to identify the problems of homestead forestry and to make some suggestions for improvement in. future.

Methodology:

The areas of this study included three Upazilas, viz., Ishwarganj, Gouripur and Phulpur of Mymensingh district. Among the three Upazilas six villages, taking two villages from each Upazila were conveniently selected for the study. All the six villages are situated in plain land on both sides of Mymensingh --- Kishoreganj highway. In the villages, a total number of households was 1800. Among them, 200 households were selected for this study following a stratified random sampling technique. Data • were collected from the following farm categories namely, landless households (0-0.20 ha), small farms (0.21-1.00 ha), medium farms (1.01-2.00 ha) and large farms (above 2.00 ha). Fifty farms were selected from each category of farms, and thus the sample size was 11.11 percent of the total population. A well-developed interview schedule was used in collecting the necessary data from the head of the selected households. Data were collected during September 1995 to June 1997. Descriptive statistics, such as frequency, percentage distribution, range and mean were used to describe the results of the study.

Source of Information: J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 1(1): 145-150, 2003

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Based on the major findings of the study, the following conclusions and recommendations are put forward: • 1. Viable homestead forestry will help in reducing rural poverty through the utilization of otherwise unutilized land and labor resources of the poor. 2. Fast-growing species of timber trees, fruit trees, and bamboo saplings insufficient number need to be supplied to the rural markets. Private nurseries need to be encouraged with technical and credit supports to grow quality saplings. 3. On the basis of agricultural and household rubbishes, the establishment of biogas plants at the village level can help protect the cutting of immature plants and damages paddy straw, paddy stalks and cow-dung for firewood uses. 4. Rural Extension Agents in collaboration with the local government representatives may be useful in mitigating problems of homestead forest development through a participatory approach. 5. The tri-partite product sharing arrangements, as practiced by NGOs in Water Development Canalside forestry, could be tried to minimize boundary disputes and also increase homestead forestry output.

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