Assessment of Forest Products’ Utilization among Rural Dwellers in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the level of utilization of forest products by rural dwellers in Osun State Nigeria. It specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of the rural dwellers involved in utilization of forest products and determined the level of utilization of the forest products. Multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting a total of 240 respondents from four local government areas. Structured interview schedule and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) guide were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Data collected were analysed using descriptive tools such as mean, frequency counts, percentages and standard deviation; and inferential tools such as Chi-square and Correlation analyses, as well as content analysis for qualitative data. The mean age of the respondents was 47.08±11.67 years, while the mean total annual income was ₦360,012.71±₦3000.59 respectively. Furthermore the mean level of utilization of forest products was 257.99±71.66. The type of organization (χ² = 128.693), ethnicity (χ² = 42.616) and the major occupation (χ² = 13.882) were associated with level of utilization of forest products at p ≤ 0.01 and p ≤ 0.05. Age (r = 0.172) and total income (r = 0.222) significantly correlated with level of utilization of forest products at p ≤ 0.01. In conclusion, there was a moderate level of utilization of forest products in the study area. It was therefore, recommended that specific forest policies be put in place to ease access, control and maximum use of forest products.