Nicholas Hogarth

The contribution of bamboo to household income and rural livelihoods in a poor and mountainous county in Guangxi, China

SUMMARY Despite becoming one of Chinas fastest expanding and most valuable forest land uses, bamboos role in livelihoods and rural development is poorly understood. Detailed quantitative data from 240 households were used to study the contribution of bamboo to household income and rural livelihoods in 12 remote and mountainous villages in southern China. Bamboo was a ubiquitous and highly utilised resource for a wide range of subsistence purposes in all households. Bamboo income was predominantly derived from dried bamboo shoots cultivated in small-scale household plots, and was the single most valuable source of cash. The average bamboo income share was 13.3%, ranging from 0 to 50% between villages. High income households had the highest absolute bamboo income, but low income households had the highest dependence on bamboo income. It is suggested that bamboo is an excellent pro poor resource, especially in remote, mountainous areas with limited off-farm income opportunities.

The link between smallholder bamboo shoot management, income, and livelihoods: a case study in southern China

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the links between smallholder bamboo shoot management practices, productivity, and livelihoods in a mountainous and impoverished county in southern China. The analysis was based on primary socioeconomic data from 240 households combined with farmer management surveys and biophysical plantation data. Management practices were determined to be grossly inadequate, with chronic overharvesting and an uncontrolled pest problem leading to poor yields. Given that bamboo shoots provided the main cash income source, this had a major impact on household income and livelihoods. Changes to culm management and pest control practices are recommended which could significantly increase shoot productivity and income, while improving bamboos contribution to rural livelihoods and its role in targeted poverty alleviation. Improving smallholder bamboo management practices is, however, constrained by a general lack of relevant research and management guidelines based on scientifically proven techniques to optimize productivity.

A Descriptive Plantation Typology and Coding System to Aid the Analysis of Ecological and Socio-Economic Outcomes

Purpose of ReviewAfter decades of intense academic and policy debate, a shared understanding of the term ‘plantation’ is still missing. More consistent terminology and plantation typologies are needed to enable comparability between plantation types and related ecological and socio-economic outcomes.Recent FindingsPrevious research has provided some suggestions for a plantation typology, but a more systematic approach to typology formulation is still needed. Furthermore, previously proposed typologies almost exclusively deal with plantation forestry, ignoring the links with other plantation types.SummaryThe aim of this review is to identify a comprehensive set of variables that can describe the range of different plantation types, specifically (but not exclusively) in the context of forestry. The typology was developed based on a participatory and iterative analytical process involving several expert stakeholders. The variables that contribute to constructing the typology are presented and explained in light of their influence on ecological and socio-economic outcomes. Variables include the following: (1) characteristics of planted organism (tree/non-tree), (2) species composition (monoculture/mixed), (3) origin of planted species (native/exotic), (4) plantation purpose (economic, social and environmental), (5) plantation intended use (provisioning, regulating and cultural services), (6) land ownership (public and private), (7) management responsibility (public and private), (8) management intensity (high-medium-low), (9) scale (large-medium-small) and composition (monoculture/mixed) in landscape, (10) original initiator of plantation establishment (external and internal) and (11) level of institutional arrangements (high-medium-low). The typology is then tested using three case studies. A code system is presented that scholars and practitioners can use to classify plantation types and provide the basis to aid further analyses.

Information exchange in swidden communities of West Kalimantan: lessons for designing REDD+

SUMMARY Forested areas of Kalimantan, Indonesia, are often inhabited by swiddeners, and are also targeted by a range of interventions related to development and forest conservation, including REDD+. Whether these interventions are adopted, adapted or rejected by the local people is linked to the varying degrees of access to information that different types of households have, which also leads to unequal sharing of the associated benefits. This paper analyses factors influencing household access to agriculture and forestry-related information using quantitative and qualitative methods in three communities in West-Kalimantan, and draws lessons for designing REDD+. Household socio-economic characteristics (origin, status, migration patterns) and the divide between sub-groups in the communities (caused by origin, opinions, residential location, and relationships) were found to influence household access to information. Suggestions for improved REDD+ information exchange include: having more targeted and incentivised REDD+ activities; encouraging more equitable information sharing; and taking better account of local realities while designing REDD+.