Factors Influencing Community Participation in Forestry Management in Chiradzulu District, Malawi

Abstract

Community participation in forestry management is a good approach to protecting forests and woodlands. This study was carried out to assess factors affecting community participation in forestry management in Chiradzulu District. The study employed a mixed-method approach where qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Results showed that there is an almost equal percentage of female and male respondents who participated in forestry management. The Logit model analysis shows that education variables are positive and statistically significant proving that education influences participation in forestry management and hence education is an important variable in determining households’ participation in forestry. Only the age group of 45 - 59 years was significant but had a negative coefficient with a moderate marginal effect at 59% (r = 0.59) implying that many people in this age group participated in forestry activities than other age groups. When the size of household land ownership was used as a proxy to indicate household wealth and then correlated with participation in forestry activities, a positive and significant correlation between households that owned 1 - 2 acres and 3 - 5 acres of land and their participation in forestry activities was observed. It can be concluded that the size of land owned is one of the key factors that determine households’ participation in forestry management. Furthermore, a connection between land size distribution and effects on environmental resources was evident.