Farm Households’ Willingness to Pay for Forestation Based Soil Conservation Program on Communal Land in Bagh District, Kashmir

Abstract

This study investigated farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a forestation based soil conservation program on communal land in district Bagh, Kashmir. Data were collected from a random sample of 180 farm households on a well structured questionnaire possessed with a contingent valuation question. Majority of the sampled farm households reported moderate to high water erosion problem and their mean annual WTP for the soil conservation program was $34. The foremost beneficiary of the program were expected to be the farm households facing high erosion, and that’s why their mean stated WTP was significantly high than others. Other important determinants of WTP were farm-size, household’s income and head’s education, farming experience, perceptions about soil erosion and contact with extension agents. The aggregate WTP for a farm household were calculated to be $214 for 10 years. This suggests that sufficient funds can be generated from local stakeholders for the implementation of the soil conservation program.