Forest Based Poverty Alleviation

Forest Based Poverty Alleviation

Forest based poverty alleviation(FBPA) is an encompassing term where forest resources are used to avoid or eliminate poverty.FBPA is not a stand alone process. forests and trees play an important role in alleviation of poverty with so many aspects following are the aspects discussed to encounter poverty.

1-FIRE WOOD As we know wood is used as a fuel in most of the rural areas.Due to lack of forests wood is going to be expensive day by day in Pakistan.So in these critical conditions poor people who have no land,can not purchase wood as a fuel for daily consumption.So dry branches,roots and other burnable parts of trees are allowed to carry out from forests, which have been broken by storms or by any other reason.It may be in case of theft by the people.So no charges are taken by authorities.

2-NURSERY PRODUCTION Price of government nursery products is very low as compared to private nursery products.So poor people purchase cheaper government nursery products and sale it to the people with some profit and earn their income.

3-AGRO FORESTRY

• Planting of trees near the farms provide shelters to the insectivorus birds.These birds minimize the use of insecticidal sprays in farms which directly alleviate the input cost in growing crops.
• With other aspects those farmers which can not afford inorganic fertilizer, the litter of these trees provide them organic fertilizer.
• Act as a wind breaker andprotect the crop from lodiging which is due to wind storms.
• Act as natural sheds for cattle and minimize the expenses for private sheds.
• Farmers can sale the tees during their financial crisis( Wedding of daughter, Growing next crop)

4-NON TIMBER PRODUCTS (Sarkanda Handicrafts) There are so many products which are obtained from the forests but commonly observed thing is handicraft made by sarkanda.Poor people make the sheds from sarkanda from the forest and sales these sheds to earn income.

5-BEE HIVES IN FORESTS ARE SOURCE OF INCOME Forests provide shady,cool and safe places to insects. These conditions provides adequate environment for economical insects(Honey bees).Bee hives are abundant in the forests. Poor people who have skills to extract honey from the hives,they extract it and sale it in the market and earn the income. As honey is high market value so poor people take benefit from this natural source without any investment.

6-FORESTS INVESTS LABOUR When old trees cross their age limit and become dry then authorities of the department launches the program for reforestration. Reforestration involves uprooting of old trees and plantation of new trees.This process needs labour and that labor works on daily wages.Thus poor people are benefited by the department.

7-FORESTS-SOURCE OF FEED FOR LIVESTOCK Forests also provide feed for livestock. Poor people who have no access to fodder and forages can take benefit from twigs and branches of trees.

8- TIMBER-SOURCE OF INCOME

• Timber of the forests is also a source of income for poor people.
• As timber transportation needs some source of transport. And poor people (donkey driven and horse driven carts) are hired for transportation
• It is the source of income for those people who make by products from timber.

9-CROPPING ON FOREST LAND-SOURCE OF INCOME Land of the forests which is treeless and is not under the use of forests authorities, that land is given on contract to the people on the per year quota fixed by the government. This quota fixation is very low and easy for grower. So growers cultivate crops on that land and make their sustainable livelihood.