Assessing The Impacts Of Afforestationreforestation On The Livelihoods Of Local People The Case Of Humbo Woreda Wolaita Zone

The emergence of markets for ecosystem services and the implementation of A/R CDMrnprojects across the developing world in recent time have changed the nature of dependencernof rural people on forest resources. It is, therefore, timely to investigate the livelihoodrnimpacts of carbon forestry activities that are implemented on communal forest land. Thernmain objective of this study was to disclose the impacts of Humbo A/R CDM project on thernlivelihoods of local people. The study employed mixed methods research. Three out of sevenrnForest Development and Protection Cooperatives (FDPCs) were purposively selected. 132rnhouseholds were selected from three FDPCs for household survey using systematic randomrnsampling technique. In addition, four key informant interviews and three focus grouprndiscussions were conducted to investigate community level impacts of the project. Findingsrnindicate that the project caused a significant reduction in the households’ dependence on thernforest land for fuel-wood, fodder and grazing area which in turn forced 24.2% of thernhouseholds to purchase fuel-wood, 39.4 % to purchase fodder and 62.9 % to reduce theirrnlivestock possessions. Although 68.9 % of the respondents reported to have benefited fromrnthe created job opportunities, and 37.1 % received skill trainings in income generatingrnactivities, only 22% of the respondents attributed the improvement of their households’rnincome to benefits associated with the project. The protection of the forest land came up withrnnegative livelihood outcomes particularly for households which previously highly dependedrnon the forestland and for those living in close proximity of the protected forest due to itsrndiscouraging effect on crop and livestock production. At community level, the projectrnachieved positive outcomes such as formation of FDPCs and strengthening their institutionalrncapacity, building physical assets though some were not in line with priority needs of therncommunities, improved microclimatic conditions and increased savings of FDPCs. Whereas,rnweakening of informal institutions for joint ownership of livestock (Kottaa), share breedingrnof livestock (Ulo Kotta) and exchange of draught oxen (Booraa Gatuwaa) were worthrnmentioning negative outcomes. Finally, with regard to the attitude of the respondentsrntowards the protected forest, among several variables, only educational status, size ofrnfarmland and the distance of the households from the forestland were found to statisticallyrnsignificantly predict the attitude of the respondents towards the forest. As sustainability of thernforest depends on the positive valuation of the forest by surrounding inhabitants, fencing thernforest area to reduce human-wildlife conflict; developing frameworks for access tornmicrocredit services in each FDPCs and letting the community decide over the utilization ofrncarbon revenue are, therefore, recommended measures to achieve positive livelihood impactrnat household level and thereby to ensure the sustainability of the forest management

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