Smallholder farmers and forestry development: A study of rural land use in Bendel, Nigeria

Abstract

The supply of forest products has lagged behind the demand in Bendel State, Nigeria. This derives from unplanned growth of wood-based industries and low capital input in afforestation programmes. Another reason has to do with the general misconception that the supply of timber to wood-based industries is solely a government venture. In the face of these problems, forest regeneration efforts within the reserves could not keep pace with the rate of timber exploitation. It is on the basis of the foregoing deficiencies of wood supply that the land outside reserve boundaries forms an alternative source of timber production. The study described in this paper explored ways of integrating tree planting into the traditional farming system. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey. A sampled population of 300 rural farmers was randomly selected from 32 settlements in Bendel State. Available data indicate high prospects for wood production by the smallholder farmers. This form of land use is favoured by the land tenure system, willingness of farmers to plant trees and the long fallow periods of between 6 and 12 years. However, successful adoption of tree planting relies heavily on cost-sharing devices between government and rural farmers, virile extension services and the possibility of free crops to generate cash flow.