Household preferences and use of non-timber forest products in Cameroon: Example of Garcinia spp.

B.Ed. Ngwankfu Evate Tantoh, BA (Hons)

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) play an important role in the lives of more than 1.5 billion of people around the globe especially those living in forested areas. Despite many studies carried out so far, very little is known about household characteristics that are associated with the collection of NTFPs and their uses. In view of this, the research aimed to document NTFPs regularly collected, their purposes and the potential effect of household characteristics on it in Cameroon. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from 200 purposively and conveniently selected households in 4 villages of Ebolowa, southern Cameroon and 174 questionnaires were retrieved. Descriptive and multiple linear regressions were used for the data analyses. The result showed that majority (59%) were females with average age of 46years and standard deviation of 14.80. The average household size was 6 people with standard deviation of 3 and dependent members of 3 people averagely. The average farming experience is 12.56 with standard deviation of 10.07 and 56% of them have off-farm jobs. All the households collected bush mango, mushrooms and palms while 74% of them collected bitter kola, monkey kola (64%) and only 29% of collects cashew. Result revealed that main purposes of collection were medicinal (78%) followed by energy and fuel (53%) while only 22% for food. The result of regression showed that male household head were more likely to collect more NTFPs than their female counterparts, increasing age of the household head and level of education affected NTFPs collection negatively while increase in farming experience and having off-farm jobs were significant determinants of increase in NTFPs collection. The study concluded that households had high farming experience with off-farm jobs, bush mango, mushrooms and palms were main NTFPs collected and farming experience and off-farm jobs were the positive determinants of NTFPs collection.

Keywords

cashew, njansang, households, Bitter kola, bush mango

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 2. 5. 2019

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / International Development and Agricultural Economics